


Anna Summers, PA

by hmsElsanna



Category: Frozen (2013)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Humour, Smut, non-related!AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-03-19
Updated: 2014-04-13
Packaged: 2018-01-14 08:33:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 24
Words: 89,929
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1259824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hmsElsanna/pseuds/hmsElsanna
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>If Anna met this woman in a bar, she would have swept those pretty bangs out of her eyes, dragged her out on the dance floor and seen whether she could convince her to spend the rest of the night with those long legs wrapped around her. But this wasn't a bar. This was an office. That was her boss. Elsanna Business!AU Lots of Fluff, and Smut in later chapters.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The door slammed, nearly hitting Anna in the face. She stumbled back.

_Shit shit shit shit shit._

She couldn't keep her mouth shut, could she?

When the man had walked into the board room, she had presumed he was from Arendelle Corp. She had wanted to be friendly. Start some chatter. Make a good impression.

"It's such a nice day, wish we didn't have to spend it inside at a meeting," she had said as she closed the blinds.

"It's an important meeting." The man set his briefcase down on the table and began to remove his coat.

"True," she said. She began to lay out the folders with Arendelle's proposal in front of each chair. "But don't you think we ought to be dealing with another company? I mean, really." She gave a little snort of derision.

"I'm not sure I know what you mean."

"Oh, didn't you see the article in the paper? About those factories in India?" Anna had watched the news report online, too. A well informed business woman like herself had to be right on top of the latest news, especially when it came to her company's business partners.

She left out saying that she'd had a good cry after reading it, though.

"Yes, I've seen the article."

"I know hotels need to have towels, but is it really necessary for them to come from exceptionally poor sweatshops? I can't imagine the sort of person who would willingly put profit over the welfare of thousands of people who are just trying to earn a living. Probably some sort of monster. Like a moustache twirling villain from an old cartoon."

"Indeed." For some reason, he hadn't sounded all that impressed.

Probably should have left out the moustache twirling villain.

At that moment, the door had opened. Her boss had come in, and said,

"I've seen you already met Mr. Rotmeir, Ms. Summers."

Mr. Rotmeir. Of  _Burst & Rotmeir_. International leaders in the sale of linens. Sweatshop profiteer.

And now she could hear yelling on the other side of the door as her boss shouted into the phone, demanding that she be fired at once. He hadn't seen Anna's point when she told him about the children who worked in those sweatshops.

She went back to her desk and stared at the in-tray for a while before deciding that there was no point in trying to get anything done. She would be out of a job in half an hour or less. She pulled out her phone and began to play Angry Birds.

"You better take care of it!" she heard Mr. Hargreaves shout and then the bang of the handset being slammed into the cradle. She tensed, but he didn't come out of his office.

Less than ten minutes later a man stepped into her office. She hadn't met him before. He could be from main office, for the meeting, but she wasn't going to make the same mistake twice in one day. She kept her mouth shut and her eyes fixed on the green triangular bird on her phone.

"Are you Ms. Summers?"

"Yes." She glanced up.

"Hans Sorlig," he said, holding out a hand. "Vice-president of financing, from head office."

Hans. She tried not to giggle.

Hans was tall and red haired. She always liked red hair on other people – maybe it was just ginger pride leaking through. His hair would be fantastic in any colour, however. It was fluffy and windswept looking and he had fantastic sideburns that framed a strong jaw.

_Hans is Hans-som._

She giggled a little bit as she took his hand. Was it possible to fall in love with a head of hair?

"Mr. Hargreaves asked me to come talk with you."

The giggles died.

He sat down on the chair on the opposite side of her desk, pushing the in-tray out of the way. She gave a tiny smile, bracing herself for severe sacking that she was about to receive. Hans smiled in return, leaning back in the chair and putting his hands behind his head.

"So I was thinking," he said slowly, "that this is less about an out of place comment, and more about personalities."

"Personalities?" she repeated. Was this how people were fired now-a-days?

"Yes. Mr. Hargreaves needs a PA who doesn't get in the way of his enormous ego. A sit by quietly sort of person. That-" he flashed brilliant white teeth with another smile, "is not you."

"I told the head of a business partner that I thought they were a moustache twirling villain." She was arguing. Why was she arguing? She didn't want to get sacked.

"We were all thinking it," Hans said with a laugh. "Those news reports – that kind of honesty isn't appreciated by everyone, but I still think that there's a place for you in this company."

"So are you looking for an assistant who never shuts up?" That was her. All over.

He laughed. "Sadly, no. I have a PA. I have a much better fit in mind for you."

"What do you mean?" she asked. She was waiting for him to shout "Fooled ya! You're so fired." It was bound to happen. No sane company would keep her.

"Ms. Arendelle is currently looking for a PA, and something tells me that you – you are perfect for each other."

"Ms. Arendelle?" she asked. She was trying to remember all the Arendelle's she knew. There was only one. "Elsa Arendelle? The CEO of Arendelle corp.?"

He nodded.

"The Ice Queen herself?" She said it, and instantly clapped her hands over her mouth. It might have been a company nick-name that everyone used, but it was still not a good thing to say when you were talking to someone who wanted to promote you.

Hans' smile didn't falter. "That's the one."

She lowered her hands slowly. She searched his eyes. They were wide, sparkling, and honest.

"What do you say?"

"You're promoting me?"

"Absolutely." He was smiling again. Great big white perfect teeth set in a wide mouth.

"Okay."

* * *

On her first day, she was handed a key by the security guard, told to go to the top floor and then left to her own devises.

It had been a long weekend. The promotion had meant moving to another city, for one thing, and she wasn't quite sure how Hans managed to convince the landlord to let her in quite so quickly in the middle of the month. And she'd only taken enough clothes for the week, a blow up mattress and canned food with her. (Minus can-opener and fork, which she had to go buy).

She set her purse down on the desk, and looked around. There was no light coming through the frosted window in the door marked 'Elsa Arendelle'.

_Okay_.  _Boss isn't here yet. Need to be productive._

Tickler files. Every office that Anna had ever been in had them. As she liked to call it "list of shit to do." She could make a good impression by getting tasks done before she even met 'The Ice Queen' of Arendelle Corp. She would show her that she wasn't a horrible spaz and actually knew how to do her job.

She went to the desk and began to open drawers at random. It seemed to have a million of them (okay, well, ten) but she couldn't really figure out why. It had been emptied of everything – there wasn't even a stapler, let alone a drawer with folders of things-to-do.

In the bottom drawer she found a pack of gum. She popped one in her mouth and looked around from her sprawled out position on the floor.

Filing cabinet, she thought. The files would be in a huge one that probably took up half the wall.

Except there was no filing cabinet taking up half the wall. There was no filing cabinet at all. What kind of office didn't have a filing cabinet?

She hauled herself back into the chair, glad no one had caught her sitting on the floor. Okay, maybe there was a very descriptive email in her inbox that told her exactly what she should be doing.

The sleek, silver laptop looked like it cost more than Anna's monthly salary. She pried it open and was immediately prompted for a security code. She typed in her password.

_Security Code Incorrect._

She tried again. Then again, watching her fingers type each letter and number, then counting the little dots to make sure there was the right number.

_Security Code Incorrect. Access Denied. Please wait for technical support._

It didn't give her the option to try again.

Well, that was just perfect. She got up to look around elsewhere while her computer called its mummy to make it better.

She went to the door of her boss's office. She jiggled the handle. Locked.

She pulled out her keys. _Just a quick poke around, to see if I can find anything that tells me what I should be doing..._

"Hi!"

She nearly jumped out of her skin, dropping her keys and whacking her hand on the door in her haste to turn around.

"I'm Olaf! Nice to meet you. You must be Anna."

She barely had time to take in pale skin, oversized glasses, and rumpled black hair before she was pulled into a crushing hug.

"Ah... Hi." She said, unsure of how to respond. Was this normal? Was head office full of crazy hugging people?

"Olaf Mann," he said. He released her, but immediately grabbed her hand and started to shake it vigorously.

"Anna Summers," she said, he entire body wobbling with the handshake. It felt like he was going to rip her arm off.

"I'm the I.T. guy around here," he said. He finally released her hand and she flexed her finger. He adjusted the strap on a large purple duffel bag on his shoulder.

"If you need to hack into anybody's computer, I'm the guy to call!" He giggled at his own joke.

"Hehe..." she laughed, feebly. "So... you were really fast getting up here."

He looked blank, she pointed to the computer.

"Oh." He pulled a phone out of his pocket and checked it. A red indicator light in the corner was flashing. "You weren't trying to hack into the system, were you?" he asked, with another giggle. He pressed some buttons on his phone and the red light went out. The computer returned to the normal log-in screen.

"No. I was looking for the tickler files. You don't happen to know where the filing cabinet is up here, do you?"

"Filing cabinet?"

"You know... for all the paper files..."

"Paper?"

"Uhhh..." He couldn't be serious. There was no way he was serious. "That stuff... where words go..."

He glanced at the computer. Then his face lit up, like he was remembering something. "Oh, yeah, paper," he tittered at the idea. Anna had never even though the word 'titter' before, but there was no other way to describe it. "I haven't seen paper in  _years_. We do everything on the computer here."

"But... you can't... signing things..."

"Oh, yeah!" He rummaged in his duffel bag. He pulled out a tablet and a stylus. "Sign here!"

"What? Why?" she asked. He pressed the stylus into her hand.

"We need to set up your digital signature in the system. Good!" He stowed the tablet back in his bag. "Can I see your phone?" he asked.

"Okay..." Anna said slowly. She reached into her pocket to pull out the iPhone that she had saved for a month to buy. He took it between two fingers, holding it like it was a soiled diaper. "Why do you-" she cut off with a yelp when he dropped it in the waste-paper bin.

"What are you doing!" she cried.

"This is your phone now," he said, holding out a BlackBerry.

"A BlackBerry?"

"Technically, but I like to call it the OlafBerry. I cracked it to make it more secure."

"You cracked it?"

"Uh-huh." He nodded cheerfully, clearly pleased with himself.

"To make it more secure?"

"Uh-huh." Still quite happy.

"And that doesn't seem... counter-intuitive to you?"

Shake of a head. "Nope." Completely sincere.

"Alllllrighty then." She was beginning to think there was something wrong with the IT guy. Well, maybe not wrong. It didn't seem right to label it as 'wrong' when someone was happy about everything. She retrieved her iPhone.

"You really don't need that anymore. It's not secure enough and doesn't have enough power for making Elsa's schedule."

"I have three stars on all but four levels of Angry Birds. I'll keep it as a personal line."

Olaf shook his head, but didn't protest any further. "You need a personal phone, anyway. I just don't know why you would choose such an overpriced, hyped up toy phone over a real piece of technology."

The answer was Angry Birds. She wasn't going to tell him that.

"This - " he waved the BlackBerry again, "is your Elsa phone."

"Elsa phone?"

"Only two people have the number – myself, and Elsa. If that phone rings, you pick it up. It's your boss calling with very important business. Even if it's the middle of the night, you answer it."

"So what – it's like my Bat Signal?"

"What's a bat signal?"

She waited for some sign that the pale guy was joking. Weren't IT guys exactly the sort of people who not only knew about the bat signal, but possibly had recreations of it in their basements made out of toothpicks?

He wasn't joking.

"Never mind."

"Okay. I'm going to set up all your new access passwords and get you into the system."

She eventually just lay down right on the area rug. It was a very thick rug, and Olaf was taking a long time. He had spread out two phones, a tablet, his own laptop and her laptop on the desk. He was talking and giggling to himself, or possibly to the computers.

"Now I've just got to set up the password for the schedules," he said to her after a while.

"Isn't it secure enough with one password for the computer and another for all the files?"

"Oh, no. See, you don't just have Elsa's schedule on here, you have everyone's here, in-case Elsa needs to call a major meeting."

She sat up, propping herself on her elbow.

"All the schedules?"

"Every single one in the whole company."

"So, like, I could schedule say..." she grinned, "my old boss to go to Greenland."

"Uh-huh," he said, missing her tone, "I didn't know we had any business partners in Greenland."

She started laughing like an evil villain. "Oh, good. One of these days, I am going to make that sucker pay for trying to fire me and-"

"Hi, Elsa!"

Anna started at Olaf's enthusiastic greeting. She looked around. From her position on the floor, the first thing she saw were the stilettos. They were ice blue and were saying the wearer wasn't afraid of anything, especially not grates in the street. Up Anna's gaze went, over long legs clad in crisp white pants, a white jacket over a ruffled shirt that matched her shoes perfectly, up to the most perfect face that Anna had ever seen. High, round cheek bones, gorgeous blue eyes framed by long black lashes.

And her hair. Platinum blond. Twisted and piled on the back of her head with the most adorable bangs in the world. If Anna met this woman in a bar, she would have swept those pretty bangs out of her eyes, dragged her out on the dance floor and seen whether she could convince her to spend the rest of the night with those long legs wrapped around her.

But this wasn't a bar.

This was an office.

That was her boss.

Anna was laying on the floor, propped up on one arm, and openly ogling her boss.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Oooh, Elsa, have you met Anna?" Olaf asked as though the woman of Anna's dirtiest fantasies had not just walked into the room.
> 
> Olaf was hugging the sexy apparition.
> 
> Boss, Anna. Boss. Not sexy apparition.
> 
> But... Damn.

"Oooh, Elsa, have you met Anna?" Olaf asked as though the woman of Anna's dirtiest fantasies had not just walked into the room.

Olaf was hugging the sexy apparition.

Boss, Anna. Boss. Not sexy apparition.

But... Damn.

"Ah..." Anna scrambled to her feet, wriggling her skirt down and stumbling over her heels. She caught herself on the edge of the desk. "Hehe... Anna Summers, your new Personal Assistant!" She held out a hand, trying to give a winning smile.

Sexy appa... Elsa Arendelle didn't take Anna's hand. She didn't even smile. Her lips were pressed tight and her eyes were wide in a sort of shell shocked expression. Anna dropped her hand.

"Well, I need to get going," Olaf said. He grabbed Anna and Elsa at the same time, pulling them into a hug. "You guys get to know each other, and I'll see you at lunch Elsa!"

He picked up his duffel bag and wandered off.

Anna was standing very, very, close to Elsa. She stepped back.

"So... this is interesting," Anna said, looking away. "Olaf was just helping me get set up on the computer. I was trying to get some stuff done, you know, to impress you – well, not that I have to impress you. I have a whole degree and lots of experience. I promise that I am a fabulous personal assistant -"

Wait, no, she was talking to Elsa. She had to look at her. Just try and keep the googly out of her eyes – yeah, that was it.

She looked back into those bright blue eyes with the impossibly long lashes and discovered that there was no way that she could stop herself from making googly eyes.

Elsa was still looking a little wide eyed, but at least she wasn't looking at Anna like she was an explosive about to go off. Anna nervously tucked a loose strand of her hair back behind her ear.

"You're a lot younger than I expected, for the big boss, I mean. Not that you're too young – you're perfectly old – wait no, I don't mean that you're old I mean that I-"

She was spared from any further consumption of her foot by the phone ringing.

She pulled out her iPhone. It was dark and silent.

"Wait – new phone," she muttered. She dug through her purse, looking for the OlafBerry. "Shit – I know I stuck it in here-"

Elsa was watching her and she could feel her neck growing warm. She dumped the contents of the purse on the desk, pushing aside gum wrappers, tampons and sugar packets.

She picked up the OlafBerry. Another ring sounded, and not from it.

With a phone in each hand and her trash strewn over her previously clean desk she looked up at Elsa in panic.

"Try your desk phone," Elsa said, slowly and clearly. She pointed.

"I have a desk phone?" She looked at the desk. Sure enough, a large complicated looking phone with too many buttons was sitting there next to the computer, its little red light flashing.

"I didn't know I had a desk phone."

"Of course you have a desk phone." Clearly she thought Anna was an idiot. Great first impression.

"Answer it. It's probably our contact at Weselton, Inc."

"Oh... hahaha." Her laugh was high and tense. She set the cell phones down on the desk, and leaned against it. "Just call me the phone lady," she said. Her hand slipped and she caught herself on the chair before she ended up on the floor again.

She grabbed the phone, trying to give Elsa a reassuring smile.

Elsa blinked once, then walked into her office.

"Dammit – I mean, Hi! This is Ms. Arendelle's office, how may I help you?"

For his credit, the person on the other side only hesitated a moment. "Hello. I'm calling from Duke Weselton's office. I was wondering if it might be possible to reschedule Mr. Weselton's appointment from three o'clock to one o'clock this afternoon."

"Let me just check the schedule," Anna said, taking a deep breath to relax. Okay, changing schedules. She was pro at this. A whole course in university was practically "how to change schedules". She logged into the computer with her new password, opened the scheduling program with her other password and waited for the navigation screen to pop up.

Except that it didn't.

What she was looking at was unlike any schedule she had ever seen. It was too complicated. She was fairly certain a screen at NASA wouldn't even look this complicated.

"Please hold for one moment." She pressed the hold button and set down the receiver.

She scurried over to Elsa's door and knocked.

"Yes?" She opened it and gulped. Elsa was giving her a death glare over the top of her laptop.

"Ah... are you free at 1 o'clock?" Anna asked nervously.

"I don't know, you tell me." Elsa raised a dainty eyebrow. It was a look that could freeze a person solid.

"Ah..." Anna backed away. "I'll just figure it out on my own."

She sat back down at the desk and looked at the program. There was no way she was going to figure this out quickly enough.

Ask Olaf, her panicked brain supplied. There was no way a guy that cheerful would tell her off. She picked up her cell phone and realised that she had never gotten the IT guy's number. Her computer had just summoned him last time. She wasn't up for breaking her computer just to get him to help her figure out the scheduling program. She frantically scanned the numerous buttons on the landline. Magically, there was one labelled "IT department."

She picked up the phone, pressed the button for the second line and then pressed the IT button. Three rings, then,

"Hello?" a deep, gruff, voice on the other end of the line answered.

"Excuse me can I talk to Mr. Mann?"

God, Mr. Mann sounded stupid when she said it out loud.

"Speaking," the person on the other end grunted. It was a low, gravelly voice with very little humour in it.

"You're not Olaf," she said without thinking. That was obvious.

"No," he answered. She waited, but there was no elaboration.

"Ah... is Olaf... there?"

"Yes."

There was an uncomfortably long silence.

"Can I speak to him?"

"Yes." There was more silence in which Anna wondered if she should have asked "may" she speak to Olaf.

"Hi!"

"Olaf! Thank god! I don't know how to work the scheduling program! Where's Elsa's schedule?"

"But it's the same program that we use in all of our offices," he said.

"This is not the same program. It is evil. It is NASA. It does not have the navigation screen!"

"Oh! Just expand the sidebar and use that." Just like he said there was a sidebar on the left side of the program. Anna felt incredibly stupid.

"Okay, thanks Olaf," she said. Stupid, stupid, stupid. She hung up and opened up the schedule.

Wait a sec – this isn't the same program.

The screen still looked like it belonged on a space ship, but now there were dates and times listed.

I have no idea how to change the schedule. Or what date it is. Oh shit oh shit oh shit.

A sharp knock on the door interrupted her panic attack. Hans, and his hans-som head of red hair stepped into the office. He couldn't have been more welcome if he had a halo and a heavenly host behind him.

"Hello Ms. Summers! How's the first day going?"

"Oh – fine..." her voice squeaked. She blinked rapidly, trying to keep tears from coming to her eyes.

Hans was over at the desk in a flash. "What's wrong, Anna? Can I help?" his voice was earnest. He took her hand, holding it to him.

"Ummmm... I'm just a little lost." She gave an airy little laugh. "All these new programs... I'm sure I'll get the hang of it." She waved her other hand at the computer, indicating the schedule. He leaned over the desk to peer at the screen.

"I... is that even English? No, I can fix this," He turned to Anna, giving her a winning smile.

"You know what the best part of being the VP of Finance is?" he asked. Anna shook her head.

"Delegation," he said, giving her a conspiratorial wink before pulling out his phone. She noticed it was an iPhone and felt like crying again. Why did he get to have an iPhone where she had to have a brand new OlafBerry to talk to her boss?

"Hi, Christian – sorry, Kristoff. Yes, yes, I know. I have a damsel in distress up here. Can you and Steven – sorry, Sven – come up for a minute. Yes – to Ms. Arendelle's office. Yes, I mean it... now."

Despite the tragedy of the current situation, she suppressed a laugh. He couldn't remember names. It was kind of cute.

"My PA and his PA will be here in a minute," he assured her, patting her hand.

"Your PA has a PA?"

"Sure. I could get you a PA if you like," Hans offered with a grin.

"Ah... no, I'm fine, thanks." She gave a weak smile. His brow furrowed in thought.

"You're having such a stressful first day on a job that I arranged. I need to make it up to you somehow," he said, then his face lit up. "How about I treat you to dinner instead. 6:30pm, pick you up in the lobby?"

"Oh... ah... sure." The door opened again, this time without a knock.

"You need to stop wandering off, and check your phone," said the large, blonde man. He looked awkward in a jacket and tie, like the clothes weren't sure they were on the right person. He would look more at home in a ski-jacket, or a printed T-shirt. His hair was a great big flop of blond. Behind him was a skinny dark-skinned man with a big smile on his face. He was carrying a large laptop bag and two coffees. He was peering around the office with interest.

"I need to get to my next meeting," Hans said, getting up from the desk. "Christopher, I leave her in your care."

"It's Kristoff."

"See you at 6:30, Anna."

She gave a little wave. He's so cute, she thought. Can't believe we're going out toni- "Wait, what?"

How did she just get a date with him?

"So what's your real name?"

She turned back to Kristoff. He had a cocky, one sided smile on his face.

"Anna?" she said, more than a little confused. Kristoff reared back and gasped, looking frightened.

"Wait – shit. That's not good." Kristoff said turning to the other man. Behind him, the other man – Sven, she assumed – was adamantly shaking his head.

"What's so bad about him remembering my name?" Anna asked.

"Oh – never mind. Maybe the world is just ending and his memory improved. Yeah, that's probably it."

Behind him, Sven raised a critical eyebrow and shook his head again.

"So, what did you need help with?" Kristoff asked, coming around to her side of the desk. She pointed helplessly at the program.

"There's NASA on my desktop."

Kristoff laughed. He pulled the mouse over towards him.

"This is just the later version – a lot of offices haven't changed over yet. We hate it too. Give me one – quick -second -" he clicked through the menu options. "And – presto!"

"Oh my god, it is the same program!" It was glorious. The NASA screen had been replaced by the familiar, simple program that she had spent weeks learning in her old position.

"So what was it you needed to change?" Kristoff asked.

She looked at the phone. The bottom dropped out of her stomach.

"Fuck! I've had him on hold forever!" She grabbed the phone up and pressed the hold button. "Hello?" there wasn't an answer. "Shitfuckdamn no I know I put him on hold how does this phone work fuckfuckfuck-"

"Did you press the line you were putting on hold before you pressed the hold button?" Kristoff asked. She looked at him, then crumpled into her chair.

"No."

He took the phone from her and pressed some buttons. "I think you hung up on him."

There had been too many times today where she had had to stop herself from crying. It was time to cry. Crying was happening.

Kristoff actually laughed at her. "It's okay. We'll find his number. Who were you talking to?"

She sniffed and wiped at her nose with her hand as big ugly tears streaked down her face. "Mr. Duke's PA, from Weselton."

"Sven! Get me the number for Weaseltown."

"Weaseltown?" she asked.

"Weselton. That's totally what I said."

Sven handed him his OlafBerry, the contact for Weselton – labled Weaseltown, she noticed – brought up on the screen.

"Here you go." He picked up the desk phone and punched in the number before handing it to her. "Stop crying. It's making you ugly."

She threw a sugar packet at him, and got back to work.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the door Elsa was having a nervous breakdown.

She had kicked off her uncomfortable blue heels and was pacing in front of her large wall-to-wall window and trying desperately not to think of Anna.

Anna Summers.

But she was a complete derp. There was no other word to describe it. Klutzy and a babbler and absent minded. This was everything she had presented to Elsa.

So why was she so freaking adorable?

Elsa threw herself into her chair and jammed the power button on her laptop with unnecessary force.

She had known she was meeting a new PA. She'd been feeling queasy since two days ago and the old one – what was his name? Jason? James? – had quit suddenly. It meant a new person. Another person who she would show her complete lack of people skills to.

She had barely gotten used to the idea, but she was not prepared for Anna. Anna sprawled out on the carpet like she'd been there for her entire life. One bare leg crossed over the other and her head propped up on one arm like a pin-up model.

Elsa's first view of her PA had included a clear view of her underwear.

Panty shots were only supposed to happen in bad video games and anime. Not in the office.

And she wasn't supposed to be thinking about them anyway.

Even if they were green with grey hearts.

Fuck. Why had she even noticed that?

She pulled up the Weselton proposal and stared at it blankly for a few minutes.

Red hair, caught up in a messy but stylish bun. Freckles across a cute button nose. Big blue eyes. Each of these features kept swimming across her mind. Each time she beat them away.

She thought she'd gotten rid of thoughts like that. Had finally convinced herself that she no longer would ever think of another woman so intensely. Had finally become the woman her father had wanted her to be.

She'd had freckles on her arms and legs, too. They travelled all the way up her thighs, marking a speckled path to…

She groaned and put her head down on the desk, throwing her arms over her head protectively.

She just hadn't been prepared. Anna was attractive – as another woman, she could appreciate that empirically. Red heads could catch anyone off guard. Especially when they wore dark green, short sleeve blouses with a knee length skirt that showed of their underwear. She didn't have to over think this. She was fine.

Her OlafBerry dinged. She picked it up, read the message about the time of her Weselton meeting changing. With a smile, she straightened up and got back to work. Ms. Summers had finally figured out how to use the program.

Maybe she would turn out to be a good PA. Elsa just needed to get over this... unhealthy reaction. She could do that. She was fine. She was in control.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Hope you're not too tired after work. Pick you up in an hour?"
> 
> She stared at the unknown number on the text. Pick you up in an hour? Who-
> 
> Hans. Hansom Hans.
> 
> "Shit!"

By the time Mr. Weselton twelve-thirty rolled around, Anna had finally stopped feeling like a chicken with its head cut off. She had cleared the tampons off her desk, figured out how to use three programs on the computer without calling Olaf or Kristoff, and had even taken the time to browse through the Weselton file.

Duke Weselton of Weselton Inc. owned a small chain of hotels throughout North America and Europe, all of which catered to extremely rich, snooty people who wanted to go to on vacation without having to deal with stupid things like poor people. Silk sheets, limo service, hot tubs in every room, personal maids. She nearly choked on her lunch-time sandwich when she read how much rooms cost a night. Started at a night.

His business had been declining for a few years –  _wonder why that is? Not._  – and the two companies were planning on a friendly merger. Arendelle Corp was hoping to assimilate it into it's own branch of luxury hotels that focused more on the travel experience – really getting into the culture, adventure packages and all that – than on avoiding contact with the locals. Today was a friendly meeting to outline the company's initial proposal and discuss any potential sticking points.

After lunch Anna went to go set up the meeting room. It was like one straight out of a movie – the table was big enough for at least forty people. The chairs were high-backed, on wheels and leather. One wall was completely tinted glass, looking out on a stunning vista of the city. A large screen covered one wall.

It felt like they should be having a top secret meeting about national security in that room, not playing real-life monopoly.

She set down her laptop at the end of the table closest to the screen. According to the 'shit-to-do file' it was her job to bring the proposal up on that screen remotely from her laptop and to flip through the pages when needed. Easy-peasy, she thought, setting up the laptop. It was nice to finally come across some piece of technology that she knew how to use already. She'd started to feel like she'd entered an alien world.

She got a pitcher of water and put coffee on. Rather than the regular Styrofoam cups, there was a set of high quality china mugs with beautiful willow patterns. She got out five and set them up at one end of the table – no need to spread them all out when it was such a small meeting.

She was just putting out sugar and cream when someone from front desk showed Duke Weselton and his two assistants into the room.

Anna's first impression of Mr. Weselton was that he was a human version of a yorkie. His moustache covered his entire mouth. Mr. Weselton was a tiny man with a large nose and white hair. His spectacles dwarfed his face while making his nose look all the larger.

She would not have been surprised if he started yapping like a terrier.

"Good afternoon," Anna said pleasantly, offering a hand to him. "I'm Ms. Arendelle's personal assistant, Anna Summers." She was determined that she wouldn't bring up anything that could be even the slightest bit offensive to anyone. She had even refused to watch or read the news of the weekend in preparation.

"Good afternoon!" He replied, seizing the offered hand. He shook it vigorously, crushing her fingers slightly. "Pleasure to meet you. Is Ms. Arendelle here?" he looked around shiftily, as if thinking Elsa might pop out of the curtains.

"She's just finishing up some work in her office. She'll be along in a moment."

Anna hoped she wasn't lying. She hadn't seen Elsa for the rest of the morning and she hadn't come out at lunch time. But there were still five minutes to one... she glanced anxiously at the door.

"You know, you remind me of someone I met once," Mr. Weselton said, peering at her through his glasses.

"Oh?" She tore her gaze away from the door, to return his gaze. Elsa would come, she assured herself.

"Yes. She was a beautiful young lady, worked in one of my hotels as a coat checker."

"Mmmm," Anna said blankly. Was she supposed to be flattered that she made him think of a coat checker?

"One could call her a  _belle-hop_!" He waggled his eyebrows.

Anna laughed. It was a terrible joke, but she had a thing for terrible jokes. Mr. Weselton's eyes sparkled at her reaction.

"Ah, got you with that one, didn't I? Yes, I always know how to tell a good joke."

He pulled out his chair and sat down, making himself comfortable. Behind him, his two assistants rolled their eyes. In unison.

"You need to know jokes in this business, you know?" Mr. Weselton continued. "Back when my father ran one hotel out of Montreal, I helped by entertaining the guests. I was always the star of the evening!"

"I'm sure you were," Anna said. She got the coffee pot and began to pour it out. Mr. Weselton added the tiniest amount of sugar to his coffee. He inspected the spoonful before letting it rain slowly into his cup. He stirred it exactly ten times in both directions before taking a sip.

"A man wrote a letter to to my father once, when he was planning on visiting our hotel. It wasn't uncommon in those days, you realise, to have to write ahead. Post boxes everywhere, now it's all emails and text messages – bah! Anyway, he asked about his dog. He said "'I would very much like to bring my dog with me. He is well-groomed and very well behaved.'"

Anna listened politely, settling down in her chair and beginning to add liberal amounts of sugar to her own coffee – she didn't really like the stuff. She had no idea where he might be going with this story. One of Mr. Weselton's assistants had her head in her hand. The other was staring at the ceiling.

"My father thought about this a bit, and wrote back a reply almost at once. He would be delighted to let the dog in his hotel, he said. He'd been operating that hotel for many years. In all that time, he never had a dog steal towels, bedclothes, silverware or pictures off the walls. Never had to evict a dog in the middle of the night for being drunk and disorderly. And never had a dog run out on a hotel bill. Yes, indeed, his dog was welcome at our hotel. And, he said, if the dog would vouch for his owner, he'd be welcome to stay, too."

He finished with a flourish of his hand and Anna erupted into laughter. Beside her, the assistant took her head out of her hands and stared at Anna in disbelief. The other sighed. Mr. Weselton joined in laughing at his own joke.

The door opened. They all looked around as Elsa walked in, her laptop under one arm and a steaming mug in the other. "Good afternoon, Mr. Weselton," she said, giving a curt nod.

She ignored the cluster of prepared seats and sat down at the other end of the table.

"I would like to go over a few points on page ten with you, if you don't mind. I think that-"

"Excuse me?" Mr. Weselton interrupted. He cupped a hand over an ear. "I can't quite hear you."

Elsa flushed slightly, then spoke again, her voice louder this time, "I would like to go over a few points on page-"

Mr. Weselton was shaking his head, hands cupping both ears now.

"Maybe it would be better if you came and sat over here, Ms. Arendelle?" Anna tried, delicately. She patted the seat beside her and smiled warmly. What was with Elsa?

Elsa's hands balled up into fists and her face turned a deeper red. She looked distressed almost, like Anna's offer caused her physical pain. She looked down at her laptop and said, "No, thank you, I'm fine." She cleared her throat, then raised her voice louder. She was almost shouting at them down the table. "On page ten, there are a number of issues about employee compensation that-"

Anna sighed. She gave a quick glance at Mr. Weselton. He was looking mortified.

Well, she couldn't possibly mess this meeting up any more than Elsa was.

She stood up, walked down to the other end of the table until grabbed Elsa' chair by the back and pulled.

"Wait – What?" Elsa grabbed at her laptop as Anna wheeled her down the long room. "I'm fine over there – Ms. Summers...!"Anna ignored her and pushed her into a place right beside herself, right across from Weselton.

"There, that's better," Anna said, sitting down in her own place. Everyone was staring at her. Elsa still had her laptop clutched to her chest. She had the same shell shocked expression on her face that she had had that morning. Anna clicked through the document on her laptop and turned to Mr. Weselton, "Now, Mr. Weselton, if we look at the screen, we can go over page ten. I believe there were some issues that Arendelle Corp wanted to clarify before we continued with our negotiations."

Elsa stayed tense the whole meeting. Getting comments out of her felt something like pulling teeth – Anna couldn't understand what was wrong with her. She was paying attention – she kept typing notes on her laptop every time Mr. Weselton spoke, but she didn't seem to have a lot to add. It felt like their positions were switched, with Elsa being the secretary and Anna the boss, which was a really awful idea because Anna knew nothing about running a company.

When Elsa did speak up, it felt like she was hurling insults at Mr. Weselton.

"I see that you don't have any policies in place for educational improvement," she said sharply as they reviewed the Weselton employee benefits package. It was horribly sparse, Anna noticed. But she wouldn't have said it so bluntly – she'd learned her lesson about being honest.

"Of course not – that's not my prerogative, is it?" Mr. Weselton snapped. He raised a finger and shook it dramatically. "Can't have my employees wandering off with my hard earned money." Anna blinked – it was like his cheerful demeanour had been shoved away in a drawer.

Elsa glowered. Her fingers were drumming on her laptop. She opened her mouth to speak.

"I think our main concern," Anna said quickly. What was she doing? She had no idea what she was talking about. All she knew is she couldn't let Elsa speak with that look on her face, so she started to babble whatever came into her head. "Is job improvement within the company. Internal promotions are an excellent way to keep good talent where it's needed, but very often this requires training that is outside of the employees immediate means."

She held her breath. Elsa was staring at her. Mr. Weselton's brows knit in concentration.

"Yes..." he said slowly, "I can see your point, Ms. Summers. Yes. I think we can negotiate on that point."

She breathed out and sat back in her chair. Elsa was still staring at her like she'd never seen her before. She looked almost... impressed. Maybe it was a trick of the light.

At the end of the meeting, Anna felt like she had played the most exhausting tennis match of her life. And She didn't even play tennis. Elsa continued to type on her computer even as Mr. Weselton stood and stretched, a big smile on his face.

"I must say, Ms. Summers, that you are a talented young lady – as well as beautiful." Anna thought Elsa lost the rhythm of her typing for a moment.

She smiled, ducking her head. "Thank you very much, Mr. Weselton."

"Ms. Arendelle, I absolutely insist that you bring this gem with you to the party on Friday." Elsa definitely twitched, her fingers pressing multiple keys at once. She hit the backspace furiously before turning around to look at them.

"Party?" Anna asked.

"Oh, it's our fiftieth anniversary over at Weselton. Having a big to-do to celebrate and to announce the official merger plan. You  _have_ to say you'll be there."

She glanced at Elsa. She was paler than normal and her face was stoney.

"If she must," she said.

Anna smiled. "I'd love to."

* * *

At five O'clock, Anna switched off her computer and stretched. Not a bad first day, after she had stopped spazing like a maniac. Elsa had almost seemed impressed with her after the meeting. Almost. She'd said a stiff 'thank you' on the way to sequestering herself in her office again. She still wasn't sure Elsa was capable of being impressed, or of smiling.

Anna was going to go home, eat a can of ravioli and watch a movie in her underwear. Maybe unpack a box if she felt like being productive. Probably not.

She was halfway home on the subway when her phone – that is, her iphone - buzzed.

_Hope you're not too tired after work. Pick you up in an hour?_

She stared at the unknown number.  _Pick you up in an hour?_  Who-

Hans. Hansom Hans.

"Shit!"

A bunch of heads turned to look at her. She blushed. "Sorry," she said, crouching over her phone.

 _Can't wait –_ she texted back. Dammit, she'd completely forgotten.

When she reached her stop, she tore up the steps pushing people out of the way all the way back to her apartment.

 _I can't believe I forgot._ She dropped her keys, her phone, and three sugar packets trying to unlock her door.

Looking in the mirror, Anna felt her reflection was screaming at her.  _I AM AN OFFICE WORKER_. BORING AS SHIT DATE AHEAD.

No one would think she was attractive with her hair in the laziest bun ever and the blouse she had put on – sure, green was her colour, but it was so boring.

Shake hair out, brush.

Rather than turn into the sleek waves that occasionally made an appearance, her hair frizzed out. She looked like a lion.

"Roar," she said to her reflection, pouting. She glanced at her watch.

She had fifteen minutes. Not enough time to wash her hair. She pulled it back into its loose bun.

Her clothes – Anna stared at her box of clothes for a whole precious minute. What did you wear on a date with a high powered executive? Not stuff that you brought for a regular work week where your only after work plans involved canned ravioli. She didn't even have cute underwear with her.

He was probably going to take her on a date to someplace where not only could you make reservations, but  _had_  to make reservations. The kind of place with a dress code, and a menu without the prices listed. Anna had work clothes, and sweat pants. Even if she did have all her clothes here, she did not have anything that said 'sophistication' or even 'grown up and sexy'.

Why had Hans asked her out?

She wished she had half the sophistication Elsa had. - man, she knew how to dress to kill. She looked distinguished but sexy as hell. Anna would bet that she had an army of cocktail and evening dresses that would make others spontaneously combust from the sexy.

She wasted another minute imagining Elsa in a sexy dress.

She looked at the clock. Five minutes.

In desperation she grabbed a pair of black pants, white tank top, and a lacy, see-through jacket in dark purple. She was just shoving her feet into a pair of strapy black heels when the buzzer rang. She peeked in the mirror quickly.

Now her outfit was saying "Hi, my name is Anna and I am INCREDIBLY BORING!"

But at least she'd lost the 'office worker'. She grabbed her purse and flew out the door.

And slammed into Hans. He toppled over, landing on his butt in the hallway.

"Sorry! Sorrysorrysorry-" She helped him straighten up then stepped back. Hans looked utterly bemused. She grinned apologetically. "Hello."

"Hi." He gave a winning smile. His hair was still as perfect as it had been that morning, but his clothes had changed. Instead of the well groomed suit and tie, he was wearing a casual sports jacket over a t-shirt and jeans. Everything was extremely well fitting.

"Oh, wow, you're beautiful," she said.  _Crap. Why did I say that?_  "I mean – sorry, I didn't mean you're beautiful. Not that you're not beautiful I just should have said-"

He held up a hand, smiling. "Thanks, you're beautiful as well."

She blushed, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. She looked at his t-shirt. What at first had appeared to be an artistic design turned out to be a duck.

Bellow it were printed the words "What the duck?"

She snorted. Hans followed her gaze.

He smirked and tugged self-consciously at the edge of his T-shirt.

"So, I don't know what you were expecting out of a date with me," he said. He scratched at his nose, adorably embarrassed, "but there's this band that's playing, I don't know if you've heard of them but they're my favourite-"

He pulled out two tickets from the pocket of his sports coat.

"No way!" Anna said. She grabbed at his arm, trying to get a closer look. "You have tickets to Unfaithful Timeline?"

The band had been her favourite since university. They were local, punk-rock, and just a little bit absurd. "You've heard of them?" Hans asked.

"Are you kidding?" She clapped her hands, doing a little dance of happiness. "They're my favourite!"

The date was fairy tale perfect. The band was amazing. Hans was funny and charming and didn't even mind when she smacked him in the face while moshing. Afterwards he took her to a funky dive-bar place that turned out to serve organic, local burgers and sandwiches. They both ordered the club and kept stealing from each others plates.

"You hit it off with Ms. Arendelle yet?"

"You're joking right? There's not a person on the planet who could 'hit it off' with her. She really is the Ice Queen." She set her sandwich down. It was mostly gone – she'd given up on eating like a lady after Hans had eaten a quarter of his sandwich in one bite.

"Nah. Execs are real people too, you know," he said, grabbing for her sandwich. She glared at him as he took a big bite out of it. She swiped his pickle.

"We'll she's antisocial or something. Or she hates me." It occurred to her that she probably shouldn't be talking to Hans like this. He was a vice-president, after all. He could go to all the tops in the company and tell them how she was talking negatively about her boss.

But, inexplicably, she trusted him. Maybe it was because he promoted her, knowing what her mouth was capable of.

Or maybe it was the hair. You couldn't mistrust someone with hair that amazing.

"I don't think so," he said. "She doesn't hate you. Elsa's just a tough nut to crack."

She ate the rest of her sandwich, considering this. As far as she could tell, there was absolutely nothing about her that would make her a better person to deal with Elsa. She looked back to Hans. "Why do you think I'm the right person for the job?"

"I can't really put my finger on it. This is probably the hardest job in the whole company. Not many people have what it takes to put up with Elsa. But you – there's just something special about you. I think you can do it."

She smiled. He wasn't really giving her a reason, but it was comforting all the same. Hans just seemed to know what to say. He finished his sandwich and sat back, his eye caught by the t.v. in the corner. He ran a hand through that fabulous hair of his, laughing at whatever was happening on the screen, then turned back to her.

She realised that she was gazing at him with a dopey expression on her face. But then, he was looking at her with the same expression.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She pulled the clothes off of her until Anna was laying naked. Her entire body was covered in adorable freckles. Elsa touched a constellation of them on Anna's hip. Anna grabbed her and and pulled Elsa toward her.
> 
> Elsa climbed on top of Anna, her knees resting in soft pillowy sheets on either side of her. She leaned down to kiss Anna, tasting her lovely pink lips. Anna kissed her back, wrapping her arms around Elsa's neck.

Anna was laying on the desk, propped up on one arm and staring at Elsa with an intense gaze.

For some reason, she was wearing a white button up shirt and a green mini-skirt. A  _really_  mini skirt. Elsa could see her black thong. Her hair was loose and was draped over her shoulders and across the desk.

"You're hot," Elsa said. Why did she say that? She should be asking why Anna was on the desk. Or running away in terror.

"It is really hot in here," Anna replied in a sultry voice. She stretched out, laying on her back across the phone and laptop. It began to rain. "That's better."

Anna's shirt was becoming see-through. She wasn't wearing a bra.

"Will you help me out of this thing?" she asked, pouting. "I can't wear something that's wet to the meeting."

Some part of the comment made perfect sense to Elsa's muddled mind. She walked over and began to unbutton Anna's shirt. Then her skirt.

_Why am I undressing her? How did it even rain in the office?_

She pulled the clothes off of her until Anna was laying naked. Her entire body was covered in adorable freckles. Elsa touched a constellation of them on Anna's hip. Anna grabbed her and and pulled Elsa toward her.

Elsa climbed on top of Anna, her knees resting in soft pillowy sheets on either side of Anna. They were on her bed at home. She leaned down to kiss her, tasting her lovely pink lips. Anna kissed her back, wrapping her arms around Elsa's neck.

Her father was standing next to the bed, looking over at them. "Elsa, I'm very disappointed in you," he said.

She woke up.

* * *

Anna hated mornings. Waking up was possibly the most horrible invention on the face of the earth. She stared at her blank walls for a good minute, trying to remind herself that she couldn't go back to sleep because she'd already done so twice an if she did so again she'd be late for work.

The only thing that made mornings even the littlest bit bearable was her habitual trip to Tim Horton's. Cafe Mocha (the only way to drink coffee) and two Boston Cream doughnuts, every morning. Chocolate, even cheap chocolate, made everything better.

She stumbled into the office – Elsa wasn't there yet, she noticed – and sat down on her computer.

It was only when the  _Wait for Technical Support_  screen came up that she remembered that Olaf had changed her password. She sighed and ate her doughnuts.

"Knock, knock," someone said, not actually knocking as they opened the door.

"Who's there?" she asked as Kristoff came in, closely followed by Sven.

"Uh... me?" he loped across the room and sat down in the chair on the other side of her desk.

"I thought you were going to tell me a joke."

"Haha, no. Actually, we needed to talk to you about something really important."

She looked at Sven, who nodded seriously.

She sat up. "What is it?"

"I don't know how to bring this up, really, so I'm just going to come out and say it." He looked really uncomfortable and kept looking around the office, like he might discover an escape hole. He took a deep breath before looking back at her. "Hans is an asshole."

"Excuse me?" She laughed. "That's a pretty crappy knock-knock joke."

"It's not a joke. I don't know what he's up to with you, but it can't be a good thing. He's only nice to you if he needs something out of you."

"The only thing he got out of me was half my sandwich. Which he paid for." Damn, that had been a good sandwich. Maybe Hans would take her there again if they went for another date.

"He's up to something." Kristoff was being really earnest, leaning forward in his chair. She looked at Sven, but he was completely stoic as well.

"I don't know where this is coming from, but I assure you that Hans was a perfect gentleman who took me on a perfect date, and frankly why is it any of your business?"

"I don't know why we're making it our business, but that's not the point. That perfect date? It was totally staged."

"Staged?" She leaned back, trying to let him know with a look that she was not impressed.

"He had us run out on our lunch hour, just to buy him clothes for the date."

She rolled her eyes. "So he likes to look nice. Lots of people like to look nice."

"He had no idea what someone actually wears to a concert, Anna. Literally, none. I had to argue him into that stupid t-shirt. And the concert? He only chose it because Sven likes that band."

Sven nodded when Anna looked at him.

"You like Unfaithful Timeline?" she asked him, distracted.

"He loves it," Kristoff said. "He recommended it to Hans because he thought you would like it."

"Awww," she said, "we should catch a concert sometime." Sven blushed.

"Stop getting distracted. You know that was a rental car, right? He normally gets taken everywhere by a chauffeur."

"I do  _not_  see how that is a downside."

He put his head in his hand. Anna crossed her arms. She wasn't sure why she was getting so defensive – it wasn't like she and Hans were officially an item, or like she cared what Kristoff thought. But she wasn't just going to let him get away bad-talking someone who had shown her a really good time.

Then it occurred to her. "You're just upset because I'm dating your boss!" she cried, pointing at him like she had solved the murder in a mystery novel.

"No I'm not!" Kristoff said. He waved his arms, exasperated. "I'm upset because for some reason I actually care about the fact that you're falling for a douche."

"Haha, I'm dating your boss. Does that mean I rank you?"

"He remembered your name! He doesn't remember anyone's name unless he plans on using them!"

Anna sighed and stuck her fingers in her ears. This was getting tiring. "La la la, not listening to you."

"But-"

"La la la la la..."

What ever cunning retort he was going to come up with was cut off by a knock at the door. She took her fingers out of her ears and went to open it. She was greeted by tousled black hair and a cheerful grin.

"Hi Anna!" This time she was expecting the bone crushing hug. She even gave Olaf an awkward pat on the back in return. "How do you like your new job?"

"Oh, you know, it's okay." She shrugged, mostly just to get some feeling back in her arms.

"I bet you and Elsa are getting on great," he said, skipping over to her laptop. "Hi Kristoff! Hi Sven! Elsa's really nice, isn't she?"

Once again Anna found herself waiting for a punchline that never came. He tick-tacked away on the keys of his cellphone and on the computer. The regular log-in screen reappeared.

"Sure?" she said, having no better response to the question.

Olaf nodded, satisfied that she saw the amazing personality that he saw in Elsa. He turned to Kristoff, who gave him a half-hearted high-five. Sven gave him a fist-bump.

"Gotta run. Bet R&D blew up another computer yesterday!" He snorted with laughter and toddled off. Anna turned to look at Kristoff.

"Is he always..." there was no adequate word to describe him, Anna realised and trailed off. Kristoff shrugged.

"IT guys, man. What do you think they do all day?"

"... fix computers?"

"Pot, Anna. Pot."

She laughed.

"You're really not going to listen to me, are you?" he asked. She gave him a look.

"Well, can't say we didn't try, buddy," Kristoff said to Sven. They stood. "But Anna-"

She raised her hands, threatening silently to stick her fingers back in her ears. He sighed.

"Never mind."

* * *

"Kai – no, listen, she has to go." Elsa said as she made her way into the Arendelle Corp main building.

On the other end, Kai sighed. "You need a PA, Elsa. We've been over this."

"Well, get me another one." An intern squeaked and quickly scampered out of her way as Elsa nearly bowled him over.

"What's wrong with her?"

"Don't give me that tone of voice." She said, jamming the button on the elevator harder than strictly necessary.

"What tone, Ma'am?"

"The one where you start calling me Ma'am and act like I'm being unreasonable."

"You are being unreasonable."

"No I'm not." This was the problem with having the head of HR be a family friend. Kai had been her father's closest friend all of Elsa's life. As a child she had called him 'Uncle'. He'd taken her skiing every winter. She'd stayed with him and his wife, Gerda, while her father was away on business trips. Now that she was the boss, it weirded her out that she was technically his superior.

She tried another tactic. "You know, she called Mr. Rotmeir a crook to his face."

"You call him one all the time. And Mr. Weselton seemed very impressed with her."

"She... she..." Elsa couldn't think of anything. Frankly, Anna had been amazing at the meeting. Amazing. But distracting. Too distracting.

"Are you sure this isn't because you're worried about messing this up?

She glowered, but then realised that he couldn't see her over the phone. He knew her too well, and all about how much she could never seem to talk to people properly. "Kai, of course I'm going to mess this up. I'm just not messing it up fast enough, don't you understand?"

"Not really. I'm sure you'll do fine though, because I'm not getting you a new PA. You're going to deal with whatever issue you have with her, and I bet in a week you're going to be telling me how you can't live without her."

She tried to think up a reply. She needed him to understand while keeping the reason she could not have Anna around her any more from him.

 _I had a sexy dream about her and can't look her in the eye_ , was not something she was going to tell an old friend of her father's. Or anyone. In fact, she wasn't even going to think that any more. She couldn't think that any more. She was going to wipe that whole train of thought from her system.

"Kai, I just... Kai?" She pulled the phone away and looked at the screen. He'd hung up.

She had also reached the door to the office.

 _Okay, Elsa. Just say good morning and then get to your room. You can do this_.

She turned the door handle.

"Good morning!" Anna said cheerfully. "I finished compiling my notes on the meeting yesterday and I have a couple of messages for you." She held out one of the tablets that Olaf had designed to be used instead of paper reports.

Elsa took it, being very careful to neither look at Anna nor touch her hand. She flipped through the file. There were a lot of notes on the meeting – when had she found time to do all this? Elsa had stayed up half the night getting her notes in order.

Anna yawned, "Man, I am exhausted."

Elsa looked up. Anna was stretching, her arms reaching for the ceiling and her back arched. She was wearing a white button-up shirt. Elsa's grip on her purse slipped and it tumbled from her hand.

This was deliberate. She had to be doing this deliberately.

Elsa chased after the spilled contents, tripping over her impossible shoes.

"Oh, here, let me!" Anna said, rushing around the desk to help gather the fallen objects.

Now she was kneeling on the floor again. She was wearing a khaki pencil skirt this time. It had an embroidered pattern on it. Elsa's eyes followed the design from her left hip to just above her right knee.

"I'm not paying you to clean up my purse," Elsa snapped. Her face felt hotter than lava. "Get back to work."

The expression of Anna's face... complete shock. And then hurt. Then it became almost blank, like she was shoving all her emotions as far away from herself as she could. She stood, brushing off her skirt.

"Yes, Ms. Arendelle," she said quietly and walked back to her desk.

Elsa scooped everything back into her purse then made a break for her room. Once on the other side of the door she collapsed, sliding her back down against the door putting her head against her knees.

 _Dammit_.

Why couldn't she just react normally? Anna didn't deserve that. It wasn't her fault that Elsa's brain was so messed up and perverted.

She wondered if she could get through the rest of her working life without talking to her PA ever again.

* * *

When Anna told Olaf about the incident that afternoon, he just dismissed it, saying, "Oh, she's just hungry and tired in the morning!"

And a dragon, Anna didn't add.

Olaf's unshakable belief that Elsa Arendelle was a friendly person despite all possible evidence to the contrary was both endearing and confusing.

He insisted he was her friend. If Anna took that as truth, and she wasn't sure she did, then there must be something going on that Anna didn't understand. Or Olaf really was high all the time.

And, as she stood in the line to get her morning breakfast on Wednesday Anna thought that it could be morning grumpiness as much as anything. And she knew only one cure for mornings.

"Welcome to Tim Horton's, may I help you?" asked the clerk.

"Ah... two cafe mocha's and a half dozen doughnuts, please," she said. What the hell. If Elsa didn't like it, it just meant more doughnuts for Anna.

* * *

Elsa couldn't avoid her. She was always there, sitting at her desk, right between the main door and the door to her office. She gave it a good try, anyway. She ducked her head down, pretending to be absorbed in the report on her tablet.

"Good morning, Ms. Arendelle," Anna said. Elsa gave her a quick glance. She was smiling at Elsa as if she hadn't ripped her head off the day before. Her eyes were crinkly. She looked genuinely pleased to see Elsa. "Cafe Mocha? Doughnuts?" she asked.

"Cafe Mocha?" Elsa echoed, the words not getting through her brain.

"Half coffee, half hot chocolate, whip cream and sprinkles." She wiggled the drink in her hand, trying to make it look enticing.

Hot liquid slopped though the lid, over her hand and onto the beige carpet.

"Oh, shit!" She put the cup down on the desk and looked around. "I'll clean it up! Sorry! Sorry!"

It was like Elsa's brain had completely shut down. She watched for a moment as Anna rushed off to find something to clean up the spill, then she ran to her office slamming the door behind her.

She took a deep breath.

Why did she run away? Anna was just being nice. She wasn't doing anything that made Elsa short circuit. She wasn't even wearing a white shirt today.

And Elsa wanted that Cafe Mocha. It had chocolate in it. Some of those doughnuts were probably chocolate too. Elsa needed chocolate.

She took another breath, and opened her door again.

Anna was kneeling on the floor again, a wad of paper towels in her hand. She was wearing a pencil skirt again. Only this time, Elsa was in the perfect position to get a very nice view of her glorious ass.

_Fuck._

"Just call the janitors office!" she yelped.

Anna sprung up, tripped over her own heels, and ended up sprawled out on the floor blinking up at Elsa.

She was wearing purple underwear today.

_Double fuck._

Fortunately for Elsa's fragile psyche, Anna quickly got herself back up. "Right, right." Anna nodded so quickly Elsa was surprised she didn't give herself whiplash. "Getting right on that, right now. Right-e-o."

She hurried to the phone, punching in the number with trembling fingers. Elsa couldn't bring herself to move. When Anna put the phone down and turned back to Elsa, her face was as red as a tomato. She smiled, biting her bottom lip like a guilty child.

"So... uh... did you want the cafe mocha?" She picked the cup up and held it out to Elsa, carefully using both hands and holding it steady.

Cafe Mocha. Yeah. That's what she wanted.

"Yes, thank you," she said, taking it.

Anna smiled wider. A bright, happy smile. Like all the idiot things Elsa had done in the last couple of days were wiped clean, just because she took that cup.

Elsa gave a tentative smile back.

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This florist had a whole shelf devoted to Roses, in all different colours. Normal red, blood red, white, pink, motled, lavender, orange. It was like a rainbow of them. And, at the end of the top row, a colour that Elsa could only describe as “Anna”. It was pink, yellow and orange all blended together. A bright, happy colour. If the smile Anna had given her when Elsa had taken that cup of coffee could be turned into a flower, it would be this one.

"Anna!"

She turned, smiling inside and out, and the sound of Hans' voice. He was running toward her across the parking lot, a bouquet of flowers clutched in his hand and a briefcase in the other.

He stopped a couple of feet from her, panting. "Can I walk you home?" he asked after he had caught his breath.

"I take the subway, but you can walk me there."

He grinned and they began walking. "Sorry I haven't had time to come see you. This merger with Weselton..." He shook his head.

"Elsa's been having meetings and phone calls about it non-stop," Anna added. She had never had to answer her phone so often in her old job. She hadn't even gotten to play angry birds at lunch time. She looked curiously at the bouquet in his hand. They looked like roses, but they were soft purple.

"You have a romantic date I should know about?" she asked as they turned the corner onto a busy main street. She blushed as soon as she said it. It was kind of presumptuous, after one date. Hans looked confused, then seemed to remember he was holding a bouquet.

"Oh!" He held them out. "A gift, for you."

"Oh, wow," Anna said, touching a finger to a blossom as she took them. "I've never seen purple roses before."

"They're lavender," Hans said. He scratched at the back of his hair and bit his lip before saying, "In rose meanings, it stands for enchantment and..." He trailed off, mumbling something she couldn't catch.

"What?" she asked. He was blushing.

"Love at first sight," he whispered, looking directly ahead.

"Oh," she said, a little, surprised noise escaping her. It was her turn to blush.

They walked along in silence, Anna looking at the beautiful roses. It felt like her entire being was humming with happiness by the time they reached the entrance to the underground. He looked at her out of the corner of his eyes. She smiled up at him.

"They're perfect, Hans, absolutely perfect."

He stopped, reaching out for her hand, turning her to face him. "Not as perfect as you."

 _Oh, wow, ummm..._ Her brain was instant mush, incapable of an intelligent thought. She just stared at him, blinking.  _He's a freaking prince charming_.

His face turned even redder. "That was cheesy."

"I like cheese," she said in a breathy, high, voice. As always, she was brilliant and eloquent in the face of romance. He took a step toward her.

His phone rang. He blinked, like he was confused, then pulled it from his pocket. He gave a ruefull smile and muttered, "Duty calls," before answering.

 _Stupid cell phones._ The Moment, with a capital M, was completely broken. She glanced at her watch. She was going to be late for her friend dropping off more of her stuff if she didn't get moving.

She gave a little wave to catch Hans' attention, indicating that she had to get going. He rolled his eyes while pointing at his phone and gave a little wave back. Anna clutched her flowers and skipped off down the steps.

* * *

The boys were singing again. Well, Olaf was singing. Marshmallow was just sort of humming. Loudly. Elsa pulled the earphones away from her ears to protect them.

"Guys, stop it and get in the next game," she said, sighing.

They ignored her until they had finished singing. They always did.

"I swear guys, I'll play without you if you keep singing that stupid song."

"But it's your victory song!" Olaf protested. His username appeared on the screen, along with Marshmallow's. "Come on guys," Olaf shouted, prompting Elsa to lower the volume on her headphones, "let's kick some butt!"

When Elsa had blurted out, "You're my new best friend" to Olaf all those years ago, she hadn't really meant it. She'd meant she was greatful that her computer was no longer flashing a blue screen of death at her. But, and she'd been reminded of this many times since, Olaf took things literally.

And somehow, he'd made himself her best friend. And then they'd discovered they'd both liked Call of Duty. And then Marshmallow joined in. (His real name was Marshall, but Elsa had never actually heard anyone call him that). Sometimes, Elsa felt like she lived for Wednesday nights.

The next game of capture the flag did not go well. Her team, excluding Olaf and Marshamallow, sucked.

"We are not playing kamikazis!" She shouted into her microphone as yet another idiot ran right into the line of fire. "Will someone please cover my ass!?"

The time was counting down, and they hadn't even gotten a flag yet.

"Boys, if we're going to get this one we'll have to do it ourselves," she told them.

"Yes, Ma'am," was Mashmallow's serious reply.

"Yay!" Olaf cheered.

Her heart was pounding and her palms were starting to sweat as she led them off to the north flag. They made a good team though. Wednesday had been Call of Duty night for almost two years now, and they were really good at it.

"Okay, I'm going to hold this one," she said after the flag had been caught. She swivelled the character around, but there was only one enemy close. She shot him. "You guys head on to the west flag."

They ran off. Okay, she just needed to hold it for two minutes. She'd done trickier things before.

Of course, the enemy had been waiting for them to leave. Four guys popped out, all at once, swarming her. She shot one, but the next was failing to die.

She was standing up, leaning toward the screen. "Die, asshole!" she said, firing off several shots.

He fell and she turned to find her next target-

_Riiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnngggg_

She jumped, controller slipping out of her hand. She accidentally kicked it under the couch.

_Riiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnngggg_

On the screen, her character jerked wildly, then died. She spawned on the south side of the map.

She ripped off her head set and grabbed her cell phone.

"WHAT?!" she yelled.

"Ah... " a surprised voice on the other end wimpered. "I – I'll just... I'm sorry."

 _Click_.

What the heck? Elsa looked at the phone.  _Last call from Anna Summers_.

She grabbed at the headset in panic.

"... you okay? Do I need to call an ambulence?"

"Olaf..." she said wearily. He stopped his panicked yammering. "I just yelled at Anna. Again."

"What? I like Anna! Why?"

She considered. "I don't know."

"You said again?" Marshmallow asked. On the screen, her character died twice in a row.

"I – it just keeps happening. And it's not even her fault." She slumped back on her couch. Really, after she'd finally managed to be half normal that day.

"That's serious," Olaf said. She noticed that he had disconnected them from the communal chat. Good. She had an image to maintain in this game. "What are you going to do about it?"

"Run away to the circus and never talk to her again?"

"Hmmmm... no, I don't think that'll work," he replied. "Maybe you should apologize?" From anyone else, that would have been patronizing. Olaf, however, was just being helpful. It was his greatest charm.

"How?" she said, trying to sink lower into the couch. She couldn't imagine going up to Anna and saying "Sorry." She'd mess it up some how. Stumble over the words until she wanted to crawl into a hole and die, or even end up yelling again for no reason.

After a moment, Olaf whooped with excitement. "You should buy her flowers!"

"Flowers?" she repeated.

"I bet Anna loves flowers," he said in a rhapsodizing tone. She could picture him clapping his hand together. "All the pretty colours together. She'd be so happy that she wouldn't care that you yelled at her."

"You think I should buy her flowers?"

"Uh-huh."

She wasn't even going to begin to explain how awkward that would be. Olaf didn't understand awkward.

"Bosses buy their secretary's flowers," Marshmallow said slowly, "as gifts, and thank you presents. I guess it works for apologies."

"Won't it be... misconstrued?"

There were blank silences on the other end. Of course, only Elsa's brain would wander in  _that_  direction.

"Never mind."

* * *

The florists was an alien world to Elsa. There were vases and vases of flowers all around her. Behind the counter were ready-made bouquets. They were all lovely.

She had never bought flowers before. She'd never had any reason to buy them. She didn't want to do this wrong. Sure, Anna would get the message no matter what Elsa picked, but it just seemed half-assed to Elsa to buy any old bouquet and call it a day. But she also couldn't go overboard, with a huge one or something too expensive.

Why had she let Olaf talk her into this?

She wandered around, waiting for someone to come to the counter, looking at the flowers. She touched a petal here and there, but nothing was saying 'Buy Me!' to her.

Until she got to the roses. This florist had a whole shelf devoted to them, in all different colours. Normal red, blood red, white, pink, motled, lavender, orange. It was like a rainbow of them. And, at the end of the top row, a colour that Elsa could only describe as "Anna". It was pink, yellow and orange all blended together. A bright, happy colour. If the smile Anna had given her when Elsa had taken that cup of coffee could be turned into a flower, it would be this one.

"Can I help you?" The florist, a plump middle aged woman, had finally appeared.

"I'd like a dozen of these," Elsa said without hesitation, pointing at the beautiful roses.

The florist smiled. "The coral ones?" There was something in her voice that seemed to be suggesting something, but Elsa didn't know what.

"Yes," she said, impatiently. "Done up nicely, I guess. I've never bought flowers before."

The woman smiled wider. "Of course. Did you want them now, or will they be delivered?"

Elsa thought about this. She could get out of actually talking to Anna directly about it... no. She needed to say sorry to her face. "Can I pick them up tomorrow? Around Nine or so?"

"Of course, dear."

* * *

Elsa was late. Anna kept glancing at the clock, nervous.

She'd bought another Cafe Mocha and gotten some muffins (It had occured to her that doughnuts everyday weren't the best thing, especially if she were sharing). She wasn't sure she should have. She'd been so happy yesterday when Elsa had taken the cup. It felt like a peace offering. And she had even been... not exactly friendly, but she hadn't been nearly as distant when Anna had asked her questions or brought her messages.

And then... the phone call. She'd gotten an after-hours call, trying to reschedule an appointment for the next day for a time when Elsa had an important telephone call to Weselton. She could move them around to accomodate, but she wanted to check with Elsa first. And she'd gotten – she wasn't sure what that had been. She tried to picture what she could possibly have interrupted, but all she knew was that Elsa was pissed about it. She had considered pretending she had an errand downstairs, to be away when Elsa got here, but she couldn't let herself be a coward.

The door opened. Anna's heart felt like it was beating in her throat as Elsa came in and looked at her. She was clutching a bouquet, holding it like a sword in two hands.

To Anna's surprise, she walked right over to her desk. She looked nervous.

Stopping on the other side, she thrust the bouquet at Anna. Her face was bright red.

"I'd like to formally apologize for yelling at you yesterday on the phone. And for the morning. And for tuesday. And in general for being rude and unsociable. Sorry." The words came out stilted, like Elsa wasn't sure what she doing. She was staring at a point above Anna's head.

Anna took the bouquet. Roses the colour of a sunset, tied up in a lovely sheer red fabric with orange ribbon.

She looked back at Elsa, unsure of what to say. All the scenario's she had been running through her head had been Elsa angry with her or, at best, ignoring her. None of them included roses and an awkward, precious, apology.

"Thank you," she said. "I... uh... sorry for calling you."

A pained look crossed Elsa's face. "You shouldn't be apologizing. It was all my fault. You just... caught me at a poor time yesterday. And I've been... a bit off, lately." Her hands now devoid of something to hold, Elsa was holding her arms over her stomach. She was anxious, worried about Anna's opinion of her, Anna realised.

"I accept your apology," she said. She smiled warmly at Elsa. "We all have off days."

There was a tiny twitch at the corner of Elsa's mouth. Almost a smile.

"I got you another cafe mocha," Anna said, "and muffins."

Elsa glanced down at the cardboard tray.

"I don't know if you actually like them, but they're my favourite and Olaf said he thought you might just be hungry and tired in the morning, so I decided to get you one too. I hate mornings, and these things are seriously my life blood." She was rambling again, and Elsa was just staring at the cafe mocha. "I could get you something different if you like. Just let me know. Not everyone likes so much sugar this early in the morning-"

"It's fine," Elsa said, quietly. She picked up the cup. "I'd never had one before yesterday. It's really good."

Anna beamed. Elsa took a muffin. For a quick moment her eyes met Anna's.

"Thank you," she said and turned to go to her office.

Anna looked down at the roses. The colour was so bright and happy, she thought. Where the lavender ones had seemed cool and mysterious, these ones were bold and joyous. She looked up. Elsa had a hand on her door.

"What's this colour called?" Anna asked. Elsa turned back to look at her, confused. She bit her lip in thought.

"Coral? I think," she said.

"Oh, okay," Anna said. "Thanks."

Elsa gave her another tremulous, uncertain smile before going into her office.

Anna pulled out her phone. She was curious. Before Hans had given her his flowers, she didn't know that there were meanings behind roses. She tapped "rose colour meanings" into google, clicking on the first hit.

 _Coral: Desire_.

She looked at the words. She pressed the back button and clicked on the next hit. Then the next.

_Desire._

She stared at it for a few more minutes before exiting. She her phone down as far away from herself as she could.

There was no way Elsa knew what it meant.

Was there?

* * *

**Disclaimer: I have never played COD in my life. If you do, and there are glaring inaccuracies, I apologize. I won't change it, but still sorry.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It suddenly hit her, what she was about to do. Not only was she going to touch Anna, but she was going to run her fingers through her hair. Her pulse started to hammer in her throat.
> 
> And Anna was watching her, waiting.
> 
> Elsa immersed her fingers in the soft red hair, dragging her long fingers gently against Anna’s scalp as she combed her fingers through her hair. Anna let out a little sigh, closing her eyes.

Elsa opened her door.

Then she closed it again.

She opened it again. Anna turned at her desk to look at her.

"Did you need something?" Anna asked, confused.

"Ummm... no, never mind." Elsa closed the door.

Why was this question so impossible? It was a basic idea – Anna didn't have a car. Elsa did. The Weselton party was at the other end of the city. It would be a simple, boss-like courtesy to ask her if she would like a drive. It would be the normal, polite thing to do, especially since Anna had gotten her a cafe mocha for three days in a row.

Why was she so nervous?

It was the party. Parties always set her on edge. Sure, she knew how to deal with them. Her father had made sure she could. She could be polite and smile and listen and make banal comments about the weather, but it always felt like she was pretending. And after a half hour she would start to feel like she would explode if she had to say another damn thing about how cold it was.

_Okay, Elsa, you are going to open that door and pretend for five seconds that you're normal while you ask her if she'd like a drive._

_Do it._

She opened the door. Anna looked around.

"wonderingifyouwannadrivetonight?"

_Smooth, Elsa. Smooth._

Anna blinked, her eyebrows knitting together.

"I mean – if you want. A drive. Tonight. Never mind-" she turned to close the door behind her.

"What's tonight?" Anna asked. Elsa looked over her shoulder. Anna was scratching her head.

"The Anniversary... Weselton Party."

Elsa watched as Anna's face went from confusion, to realization, to horror.

"Oh my god!" She clapped her hands to her face, looking like a perfect recreation of "The Scream" by Munch.

"What?" Offering her a drive couldn't be that terrible.

"All my clothes – I don't have anything. I completely forgot. When does it start?" She looked at her desk clock – 4:30 PM.

"Seven."

Anna gave a very melodramatic moan and slumped over her desk. "I can't get a dress before seven. Oh my god, why did I forget about it?"

Elsa came out of her office to stand closer to Anna. In the face of the redhead's panic, she forgot her own social awkwardness. She reached out a hand, as if to pat her on the shoulder, but then dropped it.  _What am I doing?_

"Don't you have anything?" she asked.

Anna lifted her head out of her arms. "I just moved. All my clothes are in boxes in my mom's kitchen."

The words were out of Elsa's mouth before she could stop them, "I have a dress that would look really good on you."

_Wait – what?_

She couldn't believe she just said that. It had just sprung into her head.

She did have a dress that would look good on Anna. It would even fit her. It was a floor length ice blue gown, flowing soft fabric. Instead of straps, it had a sheer white collar encrusted with sequins. She'd passed over it that morning when she chose her outfit in favour of one of her more conservative, long sleeved dresses. On Anna, it would bring out her eyes, make her hair look like fire next to the ice of the dress. The top would show off her neck and shoulders, allow the freckles to peek through.

"Really?" Anna was looking up at her with a mixture of hope and hesitance.

All thought of retracting her statement left Elsa's mind in the face of that hope.

"Yes. You could come over..."

 _Shit._ When was the last time the maid had been in? Had she left her bras all over the place?

Anna, ignorant of Elsa's internal panicking, sat up with a big smile on her face.

"Oh, thank you so much! I can't believe I forgot about the party. I'm so hopeless sometimes."

"If you give me half an hour, we can leave a bit early," Elsa forced herself to say calmly. She'd been planning on leaving after she asked Anna, to get ready and to take a bit of time to collect herself.

"Okay, just let me tie some stuff up," Anna replied, looking absolutely delighted. Elsa smiled and ran off to call her maid.

* * *

Elsa poked her head in the door, surreptitiously trying to check if the maid had managed to come in before they had made it to her apartment. She breathed a sigh of relief when she didn't see an errant bra anywhere.

"I can't believe you live in a hotel." Anna was looking up and down the hallway like she'd never seen any place like it. She probably never had. They were on the top floor of the hotel that had been her father's pride and joy when he was alive, a floor with only one suite. Elsa had moved in shortly after her father's death, unable to live in such a big house that held so many memories.

"It makes sense," she said, opening the door all the way. "It's close to work, and it's better than living in a condo."

She watched as Anna took a few uncertain steps into the apartment. She looked around. Elsa wasn't sure what Anna was thinking, or what she was expecting from the place. It was professionally decorated in the main parts – Elsa had just let the decorator do her own thing for the most part – the only parts of it that were her own was the entertainment system (Xbox and sundries carefully shut away in the dark cherry cabinets) and her bedroom. She was definitely not having Anna in her bedroom.

Anna kicked off her shoes, then looked to Elsa expectantly.

_Come on, Elsa, remember your training._

"Would you like some tea? I can order some food, if you like."

"I'll just stuff my face at the party, it's alright." Anna kicked off her shoes, stepping out of the entrance way and into the living room. She flopped down on the big couch and examined the painting (done by Elsa's great grandfather) behind it. "Oh gosh, this place is so fancy."

A tiny giggle escaped Elsa before she covered her mouth with her hand. Anna glanced at her. She smiled, biting her lip. Elsa lowered her hand.

"I'll just go get the dress, then."

"Oh, wow," Anna said, peering in the mirror.

Wow was right, Elsa thought. The dress looked better on Anna than any mental picture she had had in her head, and it fit perfectly.

Elsa stepped up to the mirror, tugging at the tight skirt of her own dress. It was black, with a slit up the side that reached her knees. The long sleeved top of it was sky blue, with a square necked collar. Her favourite part of it was how the black of the skirt faded into the top with a lace that reminded her of snowflakes.

"Hey, we match!" Anna said. She wrapped her hand around Elsa's arm, pulling her so they were standing side by side.

They did match. The blue of Anna's dress matched the top of Elsa's, making them a pair. Like they were best friends going to an event together or... or like a couple. Oh, god. She hadn't been thinking what they would look like together. She just knew that Anna would look fabulous in that dress and she'd already chosen hers.

_Maybe there's something else that I can suggest for her._

Once again oblivious to Elsa's internal struggle, Anna was now twirling on the spot, watching the flowing fabric of her dress flare out around her ankles. "It's so swishy! I love it."

_And now I can't ask her to change._

Anna was too gleeful, to absolutely precious as she looked at Elsa with bright, happy eyes her hands clapped together in front of her.

"And you're so gorgeous," Anna said, looking over Elsa. "I mean, you always are but – wow, Elsa... I mean, Ms. Arendelle..." She blushed. Elsa's heart gave a little skip.

_And now I can't change._

"Thanks," she said, turning away.

_Only four hours or so. I can survive four hours._

"This is going to be so much fun!" Anna said, giving another twirl. The dress lifted to show off her delicate ankles and shapely calves.

_Four whole hours._

Anna stopped in mid-twirl, staring over her shoulder. Her hands went to her head.

"My hair," she muttered. She tugged at the elastic, letting her hair fall down over her shoulders.

"You can use anything on the vanity in the bathroom," Elsa said quickly stepping away.

Anna went off and Elsa returned to the living room, sinking into the couch. She covered her face with her hand, trying to collect scattered thoughts.

This was a form of slow, painful torture. And she was subjecting herself to it this time. She considered faking sick, getting out of this party altogether, but she couldn't do that. She could never do that anymore.

"Ow -dammit! You couldn't just behave today?"

Elsa lowered her hands. Anna was swearing up a storm in her bathroom.

"Crap crap crap..."

Elsa stood and, not sure if she should, went over to the open door of the bathroom.

Anna was attacking her hair, repeatedly tugging on the handle of the hairbrush in a way that made Elsa wince. Anna's red main seemed to have doubled in size, loose strands flying every which way.

"Ow!"

"What are you doing?"

Anna jumped, then looked at Elsa with a guilty expression. "It's not me, it's my hair. It's eating the brush!"

"You don't know how to do your own hair?"

"My mom always did it. I mean, I can straighten it, or put it up in a bun, but that's about it."

"Grab me that defrizzing oil," Elsa said, pointing at one of the many bottles on the shelf.

"This one?"

"The one next to it. In the blue bottle."

Anna stood on tip-toes to grab the bottle, passing it to Elsa over her shoulder. Elsa was very aware of the soft feeling of Anna's hands as they slid out from under her own when she took the bottle. She drizzled the oil onto her palm then rubbed her palms together.

It suddenly hit her, what she was about to do. Not only was she going to touch Anna, but she was going to run her fingers through her hair. Her pulse started to hammer in her throat.

And Anna was watching her, waiting.

Elsa immersed her fingers in the soft red hair, dragging her long fingers gently against Anna's scalp as she combed her fingers through her hair. Anna let out a little sigh, closing her eyes.

Her hair was soft as it enveloped Elsa's fingers. It was thick and unruly, but slowly smoothed out beneath her skillful hands.

She brushed the ends of Anna's hair from her shoulder, exposing the long column of her throat. Elsa tried not to focus on that too long and get back to her work.

She drizzled more oil into her hand. Some of the oil dripped from her palm. She gasped, but it missed the dress, trickling onto Anna's shoulder. Elsa bit the inside of her cheek. Anna hadn't noticed, her eyes still closed and a blissful smile on her face. Elsa slowly let out a breath and wiped her thumb over the spot. Anna shivered under her touch.

"Are... are you cold?" Elsa stuttered, her face growing hot.

Was it her imagination, or was Anna blushing? "No, I'm fine."

Her hands returned to Anna's hair, dragging a trail from behind her ears to the base of her neck to gather the hair together.

Anna moaned.

"I would like to order three of these, every day."

Elsa stilled her hands. Her heart felt like it was going to escape her chest if she continued.

"I think we can leave your hair down." Her voice was breathy, shaking. Anna opened her eyes.

She inspected herself in the mirror. Her hair had been transformed from the unruly mass to sleek locks that framed her face. She reached up and tucked it back behind her ear.

"It would look better untucked," Elsa said.

She really did want to torture herself, didn't she? She reached around, untucking the strand and smoothing it back in front of Anna's ear. Her fingers traced a trail along the redhead's cheek. She withdrew her hand quickly.

"I'm going to forget about it in five minutes and put it back there."

Elsa laughed, surprising herself. "I'll remind you."

* * *

The brief glimpse Anna had had of a happy Elsa vanished when by the time they got to the car. Her hands were gripped very tightly on the steering wheel and her lips were pressed tightly together. Despite her tension, she was more beautiful than ever. Elsa in formal wear was such a sexy sight that it should be illegal.

Anna couldn't help glancing at Elsa out of the corner of her eyes. If Hans was attractive, like a magnet, then Elsa was one of those super powered electromagnets. But for people. Not metal. Or something. Anna wasn't very good at metaphors.

Not that it really mattered. Anna had a personal policy never to fall for straight girls. So she simply looked, and appreciated. Like a painting.

When they arrived, Anna hopped out. They were at a golf club, staring at the fanciest building Anna had ever seen. She pulled her coat about her and tried not to get slush on her feet as she skipped up to the door. Behind her, Elsa handed off the keys to a Valet. She stepped up onto the sidewalk, but then sort of froze. She seemed to be breathing deeply, her lips pressed tightly together.

 _Is she nervous?_  Anna walked back to her and held out an arm, like she was a boy going to prom and Elsa was her date. Elsa shook her head and started walking.

Elsa wasn't shy, not really, but definitely not comfortable in the role of socialite. She greeted people graciously, asking questions about their work and children and politely listening to the answers. One time, while Anna was distracted by the beautiful (and delicious) display of finger sandwiches, she came back to find her having an in-depth discussion about restaurant food sourcing with a reserved looking older gentleman. But every time, after the person walked away, Elsa would let out a deep breath like she'd just survived an attack.

"You doing okay?" Anna asked. She handed Elsa a drink she'd just swiped from a passing server. Elsa blinked.

"Of course. Why wouldn't-"

"Anna! And Ms. Arendelle, lovely to see you."

Elsa jumped, a small amount of champagne sloshing out of her glass. Anna looked up to see Hans striding toward them.

"Hans!" Anna reached out to hug him, realised that might be inappropriate and ended up giving him an awkward, two handed hand shake instead.

"Mr. Sorlig," Elsa said formally, shaking his hand.

"You look absolutely stunning tonight – both of you. And you're like a pair, too."

Anna blushed. "That's what I said – of course, this is actually Els– Ms. Arendelle's dress." She fanned out the beautiful skirt with her hands, relishing the swish of the fabric. "All my things are still packed away, of course."

"Well, I have to say it makes you look like nothing short of a princess."

Anna giggled. Hans started to amuse her by pointing out various people at the party, and telling her something about each of them.

"You're making that up!"

"No, it really happened. Opening day, and everything."

"How did he even keep his position?"

"Inherited it. In this business, family means everything."

Anna laughed, covering her mouth to try and stop herself from completely losing it. "You have to be lying. Elsa do you-"

Elsa wasn't there. She had thought Elsa was standing beside her, quiet but listening to Hans' stories. Anna looked around, but they were lost in a sea of people. "Where'd she go?"

"I'm sure she just went to go talk to someone else. She's very busy."

Anna frowned, but it was true. She couldn't expect Elsa to want to stick around her all night. They weren't even really friends, despite the dress.

She was distracted from these thoughts by Mr. Weselton. "Ms. Summers! Hans! Good evening!" he cried, striding up to them. He grabbed Anna's hand and shook vigorously, then did the same to Hans. "Wonderful party, isn't it? Reminds me of the garden parties we had when I was a lad."

"Garden parties?" To Anna, that sounded like something royalty would do, but Mr. Weselton nodded.

"We'd always shout at the D.J.," here he struck a pose, "lettuce turnip the beet!"

Anna giggled. Hans snorted his drink though his nose and started coughing.

"There, there, young man, take it easy," Mr. Weselton said, giving him a thump on the back. "Think I need to tone down the hilarity for your health. Now, where is Ms. Arendelle? It's almost time to make the announcement!"

"I'll go look for her," Anna said, her worry coming back to her. Where had Elsa gone?

* * *

Elsa shifted her weight, trying to be comfortable and at the same time trying to get herself to stand up and get back to the party.

_This is your job, Elsa. Open the door, and get out there._

Nope, that didn't work.

_You can't hide forever. You haven't even greeted Weselton yet._

Great. Exactly what she wanted. To go talk to an eccentric old man who wears a really ugly toupee with a superiority complex.

And she thought she had been doing well. She had stood by the side of the room like she normally did, she remembered to smile at everyone who talked to her. She'd even enjoyed listening to Anna, who spilled out words like she was overflowing with them and was impressed with everything, from the chandelier to the sandwiches. She'd smiled more than once without telling herself to.

Then Hans showed up.

He was so... so... effortless. He just talked and made Anna laugh and it didn't look like he was even thinking about it.

And Anna... the way her face lit up when she saw him, it was like she'd been waiting for someone to rescue her from the humdrum of babysitting her socially inept boss.

She groaned and covered her face with her hands.

That wasn't a rational thought. What did she care if Anna... "God damn it!"

"Elsa?" The door to the bathroom opened and Elsa felt a lurch in her stomach as she saw the swish of pale blue fabric come through the door. "Elsa, are you in here?"

Elsa froze, unable to answer and unsure if she wanted to anyway.

Anna's heels clicked against the stone tiles as she moved over to the stalls. "Yo, Elsa..." she called. She tapped on the door of Elsa's stall – the only occupied. "If you're not Elsa, sorry, but have you seen my boss?"

There was a susurrus of soft fabric, then Anna's face appeared at the gap between the floor and the door of the stall. "Aha, knew you'd be here."

"Anna!" Elsa yelped. The face disappeared as Anna straightened up. "I'm using the toilet."

"Still fully clothed?"

"I might have been."

"Considering you've been missing for half an hour, I didn't think so."

Elsa said nothing. She wrapped her arms about her abdomen.  _Great, now Anna was going to think she was a freak._

_More of a freak._

"Can you come out here?"

She wanted to say 'no', but there was no good excuse why she couldn't. She stood and unlatched the door. Anna was right there, on the other side.

"So what's wrong?" she asked bluntly.

"Nothing."

"Bullshit. You were hiding on a toilet."

"I – I don't have to talk to you about it." She drew herself up and went to head for the door.

"No, you don't," Anna said simply, "but I might be able to help because there's still two hours left of party to get through and right now, I don't think you're going to make it."

She stopped and looked back at Anna. She had her arms crossed, her face set stubbornly. Her eyes were daring Elsa to contradict her – to lie.

Elsa's shoulders slumped. She wasn't going to make it through the party. Not like this.

"I hate parties," she said. It was obvious, but a start. Anna, for her part, didn't laugh. She leaned against the sink, listening. "It wasn't so bad before – when Father was alive. All I had to do was stay by my father and be polite. I got to leave after an hour or so. Now everyone wants to talk to me – I don't even know most of them. And they're all expecting something from me."

"You sound like my mom," Anna said. "She is such an introvert it's not even funny."

"She probably doesn't turn into a complete spaz and hide in bathrooms, though."

Where was this frankness coming from? She barely knew Anna.

"No, but she's also not the head of a major corporation. She deals with big parties by not going to them."

"I can't do that."

"No, but there are ways we can make this manageable." Anna cupped Elsa's chin thoughtfully, surveying her.

"Here's what we're going to do," she said after a minute. "We'll go out there. Mr. Weselton will make the merger announcement. You'll stand there, and look pretty. Then we'll go back to walking around, you and me. You nod your head and smile, and I'll answer the questions. Then you can go home and not talk to anyone until Monday."

Elsa gave a weak smile. The way Anna was describing it, it sounded like a battle plan. It also sounded like a good plan. Anna held out a hand, and Elsa took it. Her fingers were warm, delicate, comforting.

"All you have to do is stand by me," Anna said, giving Elsa's hands a squeeze before letting go. "Take a deep breath, everything's fine."

As the room applauded the announcement, all eyes on her, Elsa found she couldn't look away from Anna. She was smiling warmly at Elsa's side at the front of the room. The lights hit them, playing off Anna's sequins and causing her red hair to glow all around her face. Their eyes met and Anna smiled wider, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Elsa reached out and untucked it. She let her hand linger, just a breath longer than necessary.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anna was expecting a date with Hans... but Elsa will do just fine. :)

Anna tapped her iPhone against the desk impatiently. One date, a bouquet, and a brief hello at the party. Would it be too presumptuous to call him and ask him how he was doing?

He was definitely interested. That was certain. But they hadn't really had a full conversation since the date.

Maybe she was over-thinking things. He was a top boss. He was busy. And she had been too busy to do anything but move boxes on the weekend. Of course they hadn't talked. She stopped tapping her phone and stared at it, willing it to ring with her mind.

"Good morning." She'd been so engrossed in her thoughts that Elsa's soft greeting made her jump.

Elsa was standing there. She had her laptop bag over one shoulder, and was clutching at the strap with both hands. She looked unsure of herself, like she wasn't sure if she had earned the right to say a polite  _Good Morning_  after the party on Friday.

Her hair wasn't tied up today. It hung in a thick, long braid over one shoulder. Anna had thought her hair was amazing before. Now it was fabulous enough to rival Hans'.

"Good morning," Anna said.

Her hair was probably soft. Softer than Anna's had been after Elsa had fixed it for her. And Anna had a very strong urge to run her fingers through Elsa's hair, just as she had for Anna.

She realised that Elsa was speaking, looking at the floor and still clutching her laptop bag like a lifeline.

"... just to take a look over it before I send it. If you want to. I think I might have come off a bit angry and I thought that maybe you would be able to fix it."

She was blushing.

"Of course, I can do it right now," she said. Elsa passed her a tablet. She'd been talking about an E-mail to Weselton, going over some of the points in the agreement. Anna scanned it.

"There's a couple sentences here that sound accusatory," she said. She changed around them quickly. She thought she had a handle on Duke Weselton now. It would be easy enough to talk him into what they wanted, but only if things were phrased correctly. Elsa's email was passionate, but that wouldn't be what won him over. "Here you go."

"Thank you." She gave a brief smile, grabbed her coffee cup and went into her office, braid swinging in time with her hips.

That was another thing, Anna thought. She needed to get her head straight about Elsa. Now that Elsa was talking to her, and being so adorably awkward all the time, Anna's libido was driving her nuts. That wasn't going to do at all – she needed to aim it at someone appropriate.

Like Hans, who had given her flowers meaning 'love at first sight' with an awkward precious mumbled explanation.

Of course, there were the roses Elsa had given her but Anna was not going to let her mind go down that rabbit hole.

She huffed and flicked through her laptop, opening up the schedules to see what was on the agenda for the day.

There was another big meeting in the afternoon. She made a mental note to talk to Elsa beforehand, help her prepare herself for it, maybe. Certainly she had to explain that they weren't going to have any more 'sitting at the wrong side of the table' incidents.

She was considering this when she noticed the sidebar. It was always there on the schedule, but it suddenly reminded her of something.

_I have magic scheduling powers._

She scrolled down past Elsa's name on the list of people she could alter schedules for, all the way to  _Sorlig, Hans_.

He had two hours of unscheduled time at lunch.

 _Not anymore_ , Anna thought to herself as she added a new appointment under the 'personal' heading.

Smiling to herself, she went back to Elsa's schedule.

Two minutes later, her phone buzzed with an incoming text. She grabbed for it, nearly dropping it in her haste to see the message.

_Ur as subtle as a ton of bricks to the face._

Kristoff. Not Hans. She scowled.

_What?_

" _Lunch with Ms. Summers"? U just added it to his schedule._

_Not trying to be subtle. It's called being romantic._

_Romance? r u guys a thing?_

_Bug off. None of your beeswax._

_He's EVIL. Run while you can._

Anna pushed the silent button on her phone and shoved it back in her purse. Stupid Kristoff.

At ten-thirty, her desk phone rang. She picked it up, saying her normal "Hello, Ms. Arendelle's office."

"I couldn't reach your other phone."

"Hans!" She did her best not to squeal with delight. She settled on bouncing up and down on her chair in excitement. She heard him chuckle on the other end of the line.

"Christopher tells me I have a lunch appointment with you?"

"Date," she said, firmly.

"Date?"

"Yup. We're going for a date. You had some free time and I used my godlike powers over all the schedules to make sure you spent it with  _me_."

She could hear the smile in his voice, "where are we going?"

Hmmmm, good question. "I haven't figured that out yet." Another laugh.

"I'll let you surprise me, then."

* * *

"...and then took the coffee and said 'thank you.' You know, I don't think she's really and Ice Queen. It's more like she has no idea what she'd doing with people. When she's going over the reports people send her, she's meticulous. Nitpicks every single thing, but it's because she cares so much about it..."

Hans had asked her how work was going. Ten minutes later, she was still babbling about Elsa. To be fair, he didn't seem like he minded too much. They sat inside the cafe, watching the March rain poor down the window while staying comfortably cozy inside.

He laughed when Anna told him about how klutzy she had been the previous week, but with an expression on his face that said "you're so cute" rather than "you're an idiot."

"She was really hiding in the bathroom?" Hans raised an eyebrow when she started in on what had happened after they met at the party. He sat a bit forward on his seat, like he couldn't believe his ears.

"It's like... like the party was too much for her. I don't think she ever really wanted to be CEO, not really. But her father died, right, and who better than his own daughter to take over?"

"I can see how that would be difficult."

Anna took a sip of her drink. Her throat was dry after all that talking. Hans cleaned the last few crumbs off his plate.

"You won't tell anyone else, will you?" she asked, setting down the soda. It wasn't really her business, after all, to go telling other people about Elsa's problems, even if it was Hans. "I probably shouldn't even have told you..."

He took her hands across the table and met her eyes squarely with his own. "I promise," he said, seriously. Anna smiled, relaxing.

He didn't release her hands, his thumb slowly caressing her palm. He was so sweet, she thought. It was amazing that just over a week ago she was about to be fired and now... life was so perfect.

He let go of one of her hands and pointed at the remaining quarter of her sandwich.

"Are you gonna eat that?" He asked.

She picked up the sandwich and shoved it in her mouth all in one go.

He stared at her in surprise. Her cheeks full of sandwich, she licked each of her fingers.

Hans snorted. She'd been going for tantalizing. But then again, her cheeks were full like a chipmunk.

"Ay ammich," she said around her mouthful. A few crumbs dropped out of her mouth.

Hans dissolved into laughter, clutching at his sides.

Anna's phone beeped, her alarm for the end of her lunch hour. Oops.

"-eagh!" she yelped. She covered her mouth before more crumbs could drop, standing quickly. "Weugh! -ee ou ayer!" She gave a little wave, still chewing her oversized mouthful.

Hans was still laughing, tears now leaking from the corner of his eyes. "Let's do this again!" He called after her as she bolted from the restaurant.

* * *

On Friday, she decided to do it again. Whistling as she bent the powers of the itinerary to her will, Anna added "Dinner Date" to 7:30pm on Hans' schedule. That would give her enough time to get home and change. Maybe make her hair half decent for once. She even added a timer to her phone so she wouldn't forget about it. She was expecting Kristoff to message her, but by lunch time he hadn't.

_Good. Finally decided to butt out of my business._

At 2:30, she got a message that the schedule had been altered. A place and a message had appeared.

_La Montier, reservations confirmed_

"I didn't know he could change my schedule back," she said. She'd never heard of the restaurant. A quick Google search nearly had her falling out of her seat.

The menu had three items: Chicken, Fish and vegetarian. $129 a person for a four course meal. They only took people by reservation.

_That's a step up from sandwiches._

* * *

"Elsa? What are you doing here?" Anna asked. Elsa glanced up from her tablet and frowned.

Elsa stared at Anna, who was giving her a surprised look. Hadn't Anna been the one to request this meeting? Had she read the schedule right? She resisted the urge to double check right then. The host looked between them, then turned to Anna.

"We're you expecting someone else, Ma'am?"

"Uhhh..." she gave Elsa the briefest glance before turning back to the host. "Is there a Mr. Sorlig on the list?"

He flipped through the paper on the clipboard. "I'm sorry Ma'am. I only have a reservation for Ms. Anna Summers and Ms. Elsa Arendelle at seven-thirty. That is you, correct?"

"Yes, I am Anna Summers," she replied, looking over the list.

Elsa could feel her face growing hot. This was the second most embarrassing experience of her life. That made this a very high achievement indeed, since she was a professional at embarrassing herself.

"Then here is your table. Your server will be with you in just a few minutes, if you'll excuse me." And just like that he left them there. Anna was standing, blinking around the restaurant with a puzzled expression. Maybe Elsa could get up and leave without anyone noticing...

Anna had pulled out her Olafberry and was looking at something.

"Did you change your schedule around?" she asked, then, "never mind, of course you didn't."

She pulled out the chair and flopped down across from Elsa. "This is so weird. I wonder how the schedules got changed. Maybe Kristoff, but that doesn't explain how  _you're_ here."

Elsa thought about it. It seemed that Anna hadn't put the dinner in her schedule, but there was no one else with that authorization. Except...

"Olaf. Olaf did this." It was certain. No one else had the password, or the same single minded obliviousness to do such a stupid thing. She stood up, grabbing her purse. "Excuse me, I need to go kill him."

"No, wait!" Elsa looked at her. Anna blushed. "I mean – it's almost eight already, and you must be hungry."

Her stomach gave a growl, the perfect traitorous response.

"I... but..."

Anna was here. On what was supposed to be a date with Hans Sorlig. Elsa had crashed their date.

She was a date crasher.

"I get the feeling that it was Olaf and Kristoff conspiring together, which means Hans won't be showing up. And it'll be nice to just chat, anyway. Sit down, Elsa."

Elsa felt herself complying, setting her clutch back down on the table.

"Besides, this is one of the fanciest places I've ever seen. I have to know what the food is like."

Elsa had to smile about that. Personally she had never been all that impressed by these kinds of places. The food was amazing, of course, but always seemed to be missing that special something that Gerda's home cooked meals had had.

"Alright," she said, "but I need to use the restroom."

"You're not going to run out the back door are you?" Anna put on a very serious expression.

 _Well, there goes that plan_. Gosh, Anna was starting to get to know her better than anyone. She quickly changed her plans.

"No, I promise. I just need to make a phone call."

* * *

"Hiya!"

"Olaf, what the hell did you do?" Elsa ground out, trying not to yell so loud that her voice bounced off the hard bathroom walls.

"Ummm... well, just now I ordered some Chinese food..."

"No. With the schedules. Anna. Date. I know it was you." No matter how hard she was trying to keep her voice down, it still seemed to be enough to get the Restroom Attendant to look at her like she had just proceeded to ritualistically slaughter an animal on the bathroom floor.

"Oh yeah!"

She took a deep breath. "Why?"

"Because Kristoff changed Hans' schedule." He answered, as though that explained anything.

And another deep breath. "That still doesn't explain why."

"Kristoff said that Hans was going to rip her heart into a million pieces like the wretched tazmanian devil that he is, or something like that. He was kind of rambling a bit."

"That's not what I mean," Elsa snapped. "Why did you send me on a date with Anna?"

"Kristoff can't change Anna's schedule. And she was going to be all alone and she was going to be so sad. So I thought – you can keep her company. You're very nice." He sounded pleased with himself. Like he had just created a brilliant master plan instead of having just ruined her working relationship with her far too attractive PA.

Elsa took yet another deep breath. He wasn't going to get it. There was no explaining to Olaf sometimes why he shouldn't do something. And now she was stuck here, on a date with Anna.

"Shouldn't you still be on that date? It's only eight o'clock."

"I – I... I'm in the bathroom," she admitted.

"That's not good. You should go talk to Anna. Tell her how pretty she is. Now go."

"Olaf, I am not-"

He had hung up.

"God damn it!"

The attendant gave Elsa a scandalized look.

"Sorry," she muttered, shoving an outrageously large tip at her before ducking out of the washroon.

Olaf telling Elsa to tell Anna how pretty she was, of course, made her notice how Anna looked. Two feet from the table, Elsa stopped dead in her tracks "You look nice." That was a perfectly normal thing to say, right? It wasn't quite the truth – Anna looked fabulous.

Anna smiled, her hand self-consciously going to her hair.

"I nearly had a panic attack when I got the message to come here. Fortunately, black solves everything. And I went and bought some of that hair defrizzing stuff – it's amazing. I can't believe I went my whole life being at the whip of unruly hair."

Anna was wearing a sleek black dress that ended just above her knees and a simple necklace that brought attention to her slender neck. Her hair had been smoothed out, like at the party, but she'd taken the time to add in a clip that pulled the front part of her hair to the back. It was a simple, but stunning, effect and made Elsa embarrassed that she was wearing business clothes. Her tutors had drilled it into her head that appearance was half of success and now she was being out-shined by someone who hadn't heard of hair defrizzer before a week ago.

Elsa ignored how dry her throat felt suddenly, so she pulled out her chair and settled herself down.

"So..." Her fingers drummed nervously on her knees. "... you were expecting Mr. Sorlig?"

_Great, Elsa, remind her that she's supposed to be on a date rather than hanging out with her freak of a boss._

"Yeah," Anna said, the briefest pout appearing before she rolled her eyes, "I was trying to be romantic and just add it into his schedule instead of asking him, because I did that on Monday. But Kristoff – his PA – keeps trying to sabotage us for some reason. He's like my mom or something – when I was sixteen, I was dating this girl. But she went to University in Saskatoon and my mom didn't want me to have a long distance relationship at sixteen. It totally makes sense now, of course, but at the time I was so mad when she kept ruining our chat dates by turning off the internet."

Elsa stared for a minute, unsure of which piece of information she was having more trouble processing. She went for the obvious one.

"Uh... you dated a girl?"

"Why wouldn't I? Have you seen women? Sexy as hell." Anna laughed. "Of course, my mom made it up to me by introducing me to my next girlfriend."

And even more information that didn't make sense. Anna didn't look the least bit embarrassed to be admitting that she liked woman, or ashamed, or anything. And her mom – she introduced her to a girl? That didn't make any sense. Not in Elsa's world. Not when her own father had-

"Elsa?"

Elsa blinked, pulled out of her distressing thoughts. Anna was staring at her curiously.

"Sorry if I'm making you uncomfortable," Anna said, biting her lip. "I mean - I'm not sorry I'm bi, I have a personal policy never to apologize about that but it just occurred to me that you might not be comfortable about me talking about how sexy women are."

"No... no, I'm fine with it," she stammered, her face growing hot.

 _Am I fine with it?_  she asked herself. Memories of being fourteen, so young and naive tried to overwhelm her. But she pushed the thought aside. Anna was unapologetic, unashamed. Anna was sweet, and helpful, and forgiving. She wouldn't let her father's old prejudice get in the way.

Their 'date' was a learning experience for Elsa. Anna had a dog at her mom's house named Mooki. Anna likes the way fur looks, but she feels really guilty about it so she would never wear any. Anna had once beaten up the school bully by swinging a tree branch into her face. Ann had played rugby in high-school.

"You played sports?"

"Why so surprised?"

The picture of Anna dropping two phones and tripping over herself on the way to answering a third came to mind. Elsa bit her lip to hide a smile. "Oh, no reason."

She learned that she loved Sandwiches more than was reasonably healthy and was actually disappointed that the restaurant didn't serve them.

"It's a five star restaurant with fifteen tables, Anna. Of course it doesn't have sandwiches."

"Sandwiches can be fancy."

And she learned that Anna's relationship with her mother was a foreign, strange land to Elsa.

"Last year we went to Niagara Falls and stayed at a casino resort for her sixtieth birthday. Anyway, she took me to this club and she didn't tell me what it was but it was a strip club! And we go in and I was so embarrassed, but I couldn't complain because she's all "I'm sixty years old, hon. You don't get embarrassed anymore when you're my age."

Elsa nearly choked on the piece of chicken she was chewing. Anna giggled as Elsa gulped down her water.

"Mothers are just out to make you embarrassed all the time, I swear," she added when Elsa resurfaced.

"I'll count myself lucky I never knew mine, then."

"What about your dad? Did he ever do silly things?"

Her smile faltered. "Not really. He was working most of the time."

Anna seemed lost for words on this. "Who looked after you?"

"My nanny, or my tutors, for the most part."

"But didn't you have anyone who – I dunno – took you to amusement parts and the beach and stuff like that? Or embarrassed you all the time?" Anna asked.

"I have Kai, and Gerda, I supposed," she said. "Kai was my father's best friend and was a sort of uncle to me. He taught me how to ski."

"You know how to ski?" Anna actually looked impressed at this.

"I love skiing," she said. She smiled wistfully, remembering the rush of speeding down a mountain. "I haven't been for a couple of years. Work has... it's been a lot."

"I would drag you out skiing, but for one thing it's March. For another, the last time I went skiing was on a middle school trip where I ended up with a concussion."

"Are you sure you played rugby?" Elsa was wondering if it had been a hallucination brought on by repeated head trauma.

"Yes..."

Elsa hid her face behind her wine glass, smirking at Anna's confused expression.

After dessert – they both chose the chocolate mousse – Elsa sat there, drumming her fingers on her knees again. She wasn't sure what she should do – dinner was over. Should she excuse herself? They'd been having such a good time, she didn't actually want to be the one to break it. But she also didn't want to presume that Anna wanted to continue talking to her.

She settled for a compromise.

"Can I... can I offer you a drive home?"

"That would be lovely."

Anna chattered in the car, saying how she would happily marry the chef if he'd make her that chocolate mousse every day, no matter what he might look or act like. She filled the silence, making the car feel cozy and warm to Elsa.

"We should hang out more," Anna said when they stopped in front of her apartment. "I mean – if you want to. It was really nice to get to know you better."

She smiled at Elsa. Was she blushing? Elsa couldn't tell in the glare from the street lamps.

"I would like that," Elsa said. The car felt smaller all of a sudden, warm and cozy turning into close and hot.

Anna opened the door. "I'll see you on Monday," she said happily, hopping out. "What kind of doughnut do you want?"

Elsa forced a smile. "Chocolate sprinkles," she said.

Anna gave a little wave before she shut the door and skipped up the steps to her building. Elsa watched her until she was out of sight, then drove away.

* * *

**Mucho love to my beta, who made this better after I wrote the 2nd half while sick. *glomp***

**Cheers,**

**Capt. Elfy**

 


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

 

“Hey Elsa,” Anna said, not bothering to knock as she pushed her way into the office. Elsa only looked surprised for a moment before she smiled. “I just confirmed your flight and your booking with Mr. Oaken for next week. He is the most Swedish sounding French person I've ever talked to.”

“Oh thank you, Ms. Summers,” Elsa said, smoothing the cuffs of her blouse. Anna shook her head.

“Anna,” she corrected. “I think you can call me Anna.”

“Oh – thank you, Anna.” A small smile spread over Elsa’s face. Anna watched it for a moment before remembering herself.

“I still can't believe you're going to Quebec. Isn't it a rule that you have to go to Florida at this time of year?” she asked.

“It's not a vacation, it's a business trip.”

“Hey, if it's a business trip, you should bring me along.”

“Well... I didn't think you'd want to or-” Elsa was smoothing her cuffs again, picking at her cufflinks.

Anna decided to save her from her distress. “I'm joking, Elsa.”

“Oh.”

“Want to eat lunch together?” Anna asked.

_It’s like coaxing out a cat in a new apartment_ , Anna thought as Elsa mumbled an invitation that could have been summed up with 'Sure.' It was adorable. Anna grabbed her chair, which she had dragged over from her desk and pulled it into Elsa's office.

“Thanks. If I sit with Kristoff and Sven today in the cafeteria I may just throttle them.”

“Are they still not apologizing?”

“Of course not. I admitted that it was a fun night out with you and that just broke all credibility in their eyes,” Anna said, rolling her eyes.

Elsa blushed.

“We should hang out again sometime,” Anna suggested.

“We should?” Elsa asked as she pulled out a take-out container from the hotel she lived in. Anna wondered when the last time Elsa had something that wasn’t made by a five star chef was.

“Yeah! Like – as friends. It'd be fun.”

“Ummm... okay.” Elsa twisted her napkin in her hands. “What should we do?”

“I dunno. Order a pizza and watch movies? What do you do for fun?”

For some reason, Elsa suddenly seemed to clamp up. “Oh... books, internet, skiing...” Was it the pizza? Could you get five star pizza with truffles and rare smelly cheeses? Anna thought it would be better to start with something that was already in Elsa’s comfort zone.

“Okay, what do you and Olaf get up to? You can't tell me that you guys go skiing – I doubt Olaf knows what the outside world looks like. We can skip the pizza.”

“No, pizza is good. Olaf and I… oh... we have a... games... night. Once a week. With him and his brother.”

An image of Elsa playing monopoly or clue came into Anna's head. She giggled.

“Sounds awesome. Can I join? When?”

“I guess so?” Elsa asked more than answered. She was staring very deliberately at her food. “We have one tonight.”

“Yay!” Anna clapped her hands together, doing a little victory dance in her seat.

 

Elsa stood there, clutching at her sides, waiting for Anna to give a verdict on how she spent her spare time. This was not a good idea. Twelve year olds played Call of Duty. Not CEO's of major corporations. Anna was going to laugh her out of her own house.

“This is so much cooler than monopoly!” Anna squealed, inspecting the 80'' TV, console, sound system and all the equipment that made up Elsa's hobby. Anna put the pizza down on the coffee table and flopped into the couch.

“Are you gonna teach me?”

“You thought I was talking about monopoly?” Elsa asked. A tiny chuckle escaped her.

“Well, you did say 'games night'. I was kind of nervous. I've never played a game of monopoly that ended well.”

“I play enough of real life monopoly, I think,” Elsa replied, still smiling.

“Planning on building a hotel on Boardwalk anytime soon?”

Elsa laughed again. Anna once again gave a delighted smile, like she hasn't expected Elsa to laugh.

_And I normally wouldn't_ , she realised. This was new – she was used to being so guarded around others that laughing wouldn't even occur to her, unless it was Olaf. But Anna was different – once Elsa got over her crazy reactions to her, Anna was easy to be around. She was fun.

Elsa moved toward the kitchen. “Would you like something to drink?”

Anna bounced to her feet, following her. “What've you got?”

“Ummm... white wine, cranberry juice, sparkling water...” she trailed off, not really sure if it was sophisticated enough for her to talk about her usual beverage of choice. “We can order up anything, really. There's a decent selection of local beer...”

“Chocolate Milk!” Anna cried, peering over the side of the fridge and grabbing at the container. “Were you gonna leave that out?”

Elsa gave a sheepish smile.

“Come on,” Anna said, rolling her eyes. “I bring you Timmy’s every morning. I think we both know that we're horrible chocoholics who don't care if it's good or not.”

“Good point.”

Two glasses of chocolate milk and plates in hand they returned to the couch. Anna again flopped down.

“Oops,” she said when the milk inevitably spilled onto her blouse.

“Here,” Elsa said, handing her a napkin.

“It's like you know me,” Anna said with another giggle. She dabbed at the spill, made a face when she noticed it had soaked through her shirt, and then undid the top two buttons.

_She just keeps..._ Elsa's thoughts became incoherent again. She knew Anna wasn't doing this on purpose – she was just like that. But it didn't change the fact that she was now wiping milk off the top of her breasts. Elsa could see her bra (white with lace edging).

_Why am I even watching her?_ She was just standing there, watching Anna. Watching the dip of the skin of her breasts under the pressure of the napkin and Anna’s hands. Anna hadn't noticed. She scrunched up the napkin and put it down on her place before popping open the pizza box. She left the top two buttons of her blouse undone.

Not technically indecent – showing cleavage is normal and it was no longer the work day. Elsa's pulse and overactive mind disagreed with that assessment, however.

“Are you going to sit down?” Anna asked with a curious look at Elsa, slice of pizza halfway to her mouth.

Elsa replied in an assenting sort of grunt, unable to manage anything else. She sat down on the other end of the couch. She had talked Olaf into bringing his spare system over so they could sit on different furniture altogether, minimizing the horrible effect Anna still had on her ability to think properly. Instead of understanding this, he'd managed to set up both systems on the same TV (how, she had no idea). He thought it was absolutely lovely that Elsa was making friends and that she and Anna needed to increase direct contact to keep the relationship boost at maximum.

She picked up the controllers, tossing one to Anna. “We need to get you set up in the system,” she said.

“Okay,” Anna said. She scooted closer to Elsa on the couch. “Shouldn't the controllers be plugged in?”

“Um... when was the last time you played video games?”

“My mom got a Sega at a garage sale once. I played Sonic.”

_Oh dear_. It occurred to Elsa that putting Anna straight into online play might not be the best idea, but Olaf and Marshmallow were waiting. And Elsa was too aware of Anna being right next to her, watching over her shoulder as she signed Anna into the system. Maybe mass slaughter would be enough to distract her eyes from Anna’s breasts. And the sprinkling of freckles that seemed to congregate in her cleavage.

She _really_ needed to kill something.

“Okay, so Olaf set up your account already. Let’s see your user name is-”

She stopped. Olaf, for some incomprehensible reason of his own, had decided to put Anna down as AnnaArendelle.

“Oh-” Anna said. She laughed, but it sounded a little more breathy than usual. Did she inch away slightly? Elsa couldn't tell. Maybe she was just shifting. “So how do you play?”

“Right. Here – so you move using the left stick,” Elsa showed her on her own controller. “Jump, crouch, attack, aim-” she went through the controller as quickly as possible. She really, really needed to kill something. Possibly a certain IT guy. “Got it?”

“I think so...”

“Good.” She picked up the two headsets and passed Anna's to her before she finished logging them in.

“Elsa! We thought you'd never sign on.”

“I had to get Anna set up in the system.” She tried to make Olaf aware, through tone, how not happy he was, knowing it was a lost effort.

“Hi Anna! How are you? Have you met Marshmallow? Marshmallow's my brother. Say Hi Marshmallow.” And Olaf missed her cues as usual.

“It's Marshall. Not Marshmallow,” Marshmallow answered. Elsa had tried to call him Marshall for the first couple of weeks being acquainted with him, but with Olaf around it was an exercise in futility.

Anna laughed. “Hey, it's you. From IT!” she said to Marshmallow.

“Yes,” answered his gruff voice.

“Okay guys, I explained the rules to her,” Elsa said quickly. “Let's slaughter them.”

* * *

Elsa instantly felt better as she made her first kill. She could forget that her leg was touching Anna's and her messed up feelings about it while concentrating on the game.

Almost.

“Ack – no – that's the jump button. Crouch! Crouch you fool!” Elsa glanced at Anna's half of the screen just in time to see her die, still mashing on the wrong button.

“Do you even know what you're doing?” one of the other players asked.

“Not really!” Anna said as her character re-spawned.

Elsa tried to keep her eyes on her own side of the screen, but Anna kept jumping and cringing right next to her on the couch. People on their team were getting angry – and more than a little rude.

“Anna – where're you going?” she asked as she watched Anna's character run in a seemingly directionless manner.

“I don't know, I forgot how to shoot! I just know how to run!”

“Watch out for that guy-”

Anna shrieked and dropped the controller.

“Augh – you dumb noob. Go make me a sandwich.”

There was a click and the chatter of the other players died – Olaf changing them to a private channel.

“Operation Sandwich?” Olaf asked.

“Operation Sandwich,” Elsa replied. Anna gave her a curious look, but Elsa stared fixedly at the screen, her blood boiling in her ears. Waiting for Olaf to do his magic.

Olaf had developed “Operation Sandwich” the first time he'd realised that people were assholes to women in games. Elsa had written off the time he spent on the project with the company as a “research development project.”

The screen flickered. A new team list appeared.

Listed on her team was herself, Anna, Olaf, and Marshmallow, listed on the other team were the rude members of her previous team, and all of them, both new teams, were in common chat. Olaf wanted them to hear their demise.

The other team was making confused chatter. Then, sweet as sugar, Olaf and Marshmallow’s voices came over the comm.

“ _God save our gracious queen.”_

She ordered an airstrike.

“ _Long live our noble queen.”_

And another.

“ _God save the queen.”_

And one more just to be sure. The bombs started falling.

“ _Send her victorious!”_

“Wait! You can’t do that!”

“ _Happy and glorious!”_

“The Fuck?”

“You can’t do that!”

Olaf and Marshmallow’s bombs had started falling too.

“ _Long to reign over us!”_

“Shit! This isn’t right!”

“Stop that fucking singing!”

“ _GOD SAVE THE QUEEN!”_ Olaf and Marshmallow had long since given up their sweet voices and angelic harmony in favour of belting out the song as loud as they could. They continued onto the second verse.

She popped out of her hiding spot and started spraying bullets. The chatter from the other team was being drowned out by Olaf and Marshmallow. Now that she was out in the open, she could see that someone was sniping with uncanny precision. Must be Marshmallow.

She shot him square in the head. She could barely hear him complaining over the singing, but she knew that Olaf would make sure that he heard her.

“Queens don’t make sandwiches. That’s a job for servants like you,” she said, smugly.

“ _ON THEE OUR HOPES WE FIX!_

_GOD SAVE US ALL!”_

The time ran out. The screen flickered again, and they were disconnected from the game. Elsa looked over at Anna, biting her bottom lip.

“How did you do that?” Anna asked. “I'm fairly certain the game isn't supposed to do that.”

“Yeah, well... people shouldn't be chauvinistic pigs.” She was still glowering. They hadn't had to use “Operation Sandwich” for a while. Elsa had gotten too good for anyone to think of saying anything to her. But she hated that Anna's first impression of the game was that it was full of idiots. She had really wanted to share this with her, she realised. Really wanted to become friends. She'd even thought that this could be a regular thing.

“Sorry,” she said, not looking at Anna. “We could try offline play, so we don't have to deal with them and I can explain the controls better...”

“That's okay,” Anna said. She patted Elsa's knee, trying to comfort her. “How about you play, and I can watch?” she suggested, gingerly putting the controller down on the coffee table like it might explode on her. “I want to watch you play.”

Elsa inspected her face closely – but she didn't seem upset. She had never seen her face this closely, either – she could make out individual freckles all across her face. She had them on her eyelids.

She realised she had been staring at Anna for longer than necessary. She cleared her throat and pulled the headphones back on.

“How about I show you my favourite multiplayer mode?” 

* * *

 

Watching Elsa play was much more fun than playing herself, Anna decided. Not nearly as stressful, and she got a chance to see a side of Elsa that she hadn't even known existed.

She really was an Ice Queen, but not in the way everyone thought she was. She was calm and calculating, a strategist. She didn't get rattled by all the people shooting at her, or by the air strikes. She gave orders, and the other players actually followed them.

And she was having fun. She was leaning forward, biting her lip as the clock counted down. Completely engrossed, and not the slightest bit nervous like she was at work. After every tense moment, she let out a breath, running her hand through her hair. A habit.

When the game was won – Elsa's team just having recaptured a flag moment before – they turned to each other.

Elsa's eyes were shining with excitement and happiness – pure happiness. Enthralled. It was like Anna was seeing a whole new vision of her – one that was sure of herself. It was more beautiful than she could have imagined.

They were sitting right next to each other on the couch, Anna noticed. She had put them that way, but at the time she hadn't really been thinking about it. Elsa's knee was touching her own, a source of warmth that Anna was hyper aware of all of a sudden.

Elsa's bangs had started to come loose from her bun, after all the times she had tugged on her hair. A lock was partially covering one of those perfect blue eyes.

Anna reached out and pushed it back, tucking Elsa's hair behind her ear. Elsa breathed in sharply – in surprise? or...

“... Send her victorious! Happy and Glorious!” Both of them jumped at the suddenly loud singing coming over their headphones. Elsa gasped in horror and grabbed at the headphones.

“I told you not to sing that! Just because I forgot to reprimand you last time is not permission to do it again!”

“Long to reign over us, God save the queen!”

“I'm going to fire you both if you don't cut that out right this moment...”

Olaf and Marshmallow ignored her, starting in on the second verse. Elsa humphed before grabbing the cord for her and Anna's headsets, pulling them from the socket.

“Are they singing God Save the Queen again?”

Elsa looked at her helplessly. She looked completely traumatized, so Anna stifled her giggles and tried to look serious.

“It was a joke,” Elsa said. She seemed desperate to explain herself. “Since I'm the 'Ice Queen', and I win a lot and it's kind of their victory song but I asked them not to sing tonight because this is really, really embarrassing and Operation Sandwich is kind of an exception to the rule because psychological warfare is important.”

Elsa was fiddling with the headphone cords, staring with wide desperate eyes that willed Anna to realise that she had no control over her friends. Anna let herself giggle a little.

“Anna-”

She laughed harder. Then she began laughing so hard she was having trouble breathing. The whole while Elsa looked on helplessly. Tears came to Anna's eyes.

“You – are – so – adorable!” she gasped, clutching at her sides.

Elsa stood there uncertainly while Anna tried to get herself under control. Every time she looked at Elsa, though, she started in on more giggles. Eventually Elsa sat down on the couch, stiffly and ate some pizza until Anna stopped.

“Okay – I'm good now,” Anna said, wiping at her eyes. She drained the rest of her milk. “Are you gonna play more?”

“I can – I mean, if you’re not bored?”

“Do I look like I'm bored?” Anna asked, leaning so that her arm was against Elsa’s. “Go ahead. This is so much fun.”

Finally Elsa smiled back.

“I just have one question-” Anna asked, suddenly remember something.

“Yes?” The smile dropped from Elsa's face and she looked suddenly wary.

“Do you really not make sandwiches?” Anna asked. It hadn’t been what she had meant to say, but she couldn’t get the idea of Elsa having a chef make her a five star sandwich with caviar and shark out of her head.

Elsa blinked at her, bemused. “Maybe? I’m not entirely certain that I own bread. Do you want me to order a sandwich for you from the kitchen?”

Anna giggled. “No, no. Alright one more question.”

Elsa raised her eyebrow, clearly waiting for something else ridiculous to come out of her mouth.

“Were you playing Call of Duty when I called you that one time?”

Elsa hugged her controller to her chest and averted her eyes.

“... yes.”

Anna ginned. “I'll make sure not to call you on Wednesdays.”

* * *

“Ummmmm...” It was the next day. Elsa had her hands clasped behind her back, standing in front of Anna's desk before picking up her morning cafe mocha. Anna would bet anything she was fiddling with her fingers.

_How does someone this adorable get to be my boss?_ Anna put her tablet down, giving Elsa her full attention, waiting for her to find the words for whatever she wanted to say.

“I was wondering if you would – I mean, if you want to. I mean, I really need you there and it'd actually be kind of fun because I doubt there'd be a lot of business. So... uh, will you consider it?”

Anna went over that statement in her head. No, no sense. And now Elsa was clutching at her front, looking like she might be sick. “Will I consider what?” Anna asked as gently as she could.

“Oh!” Elsa's ears turned a bright pink. “Right. Business trip.”

Anna waited.

“Will you come with me?”

 

 

 

 


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elsa used to be normal. A bit bookish, a bit quiet, very well behaved. Then her father sent her to St. Willibrord's Catholic Academy for Girls when she started high-school. He wasn't particularly religious, but he liked the values of the school and the complete lack of boys for her to get into trouble with.
> 
> He probably would have been better sending her to an all-boys school, if that was his worry.

It had been a bad idea. Asking Anna to come.

Anna in pencil skirts and blouses was hard to deal with. Anna in formal wear was near impossible.

Anna in jeans and flowy, beaded, colourful tops?

She had her hair in pigtails.

She was leaning against the car, casually fiddling with the end of one braid, tickling her palm while staring off into space.

 _How does someone look more attractive in casual clothes? How?_  Elsa's pulse, which hadn't been going very slowly before she spotted Anna, picked up its pace.

She'd just barely started to be able to deal with Anna being around her, and now it was dawning on Elsa that she'd be spending a whole week with Anna in unknown territory. Anna would want to do things. She'd want to go sightseeing and do touristy things. And she'd want to do them with Elsa. That should have been a good thing.

Except that it wasn't. Because the more time Elsa spent with Anna, the more her brain provided her with inappropriate thoughts about her PA.

For instance, if they took advantage of the heated outdoor pools, what kind of bathing suit would Anna wear?

"Ms. Arendelle!"

Elsa jumped. She'd been standing in the door of the hotel, completely lost in her own thoughts.

"Elsa," Anna said, coming out of her thoughts and smiling widely. "Took you long enough."

"I'll grab your bag," said Anna's companion.

That was another thing. Hans was driving them to the airport.

Despite Elsa's insistence that she was perfectly happy driving them both and that she could leave her car in the airport garage for a week, Anna had asked Mr. Sorlig to give them a lift. He was such a nice person, of course he would agree. Especially for Anna.

Elsa was not ready to admit why this bothered her so much, but it did.

"I can put it in myself," she said, her voice coming out cold as she picked up the suitcase and dragged it to the trunk. She noticed that Anna had packed in a pink duffel bag with tourist key chains hanging off the strap. It made her smile.

"All loaded up ladies?" Hans said. He pulled out a pair of sunglasses and, placing them on his nose, said, "Let's blow this joint."

Anna giggled. Hans, suave as ever, opened the door to the passenger side for her. Elsa fought the urge to hit him with the car door as she slipped into the back seat.

_Just act normal. There's no reason for you to feel this way so just act like a decent human being for half an hour._

Somehow she managed it, even when Hans insisted on coming in with them into the airport, carrying Anna's pink duffel bag over one shoulder and holding her hand. Checking the bags went smoothly and finally it was time to go through the security check, where Hans would have to be left behind.

"Don't forget me, Anna," Hans said.

"It's just a week," Anna said with a laugh, but she was blushing and looking pleased.

And then he was kissing her, right there in front of Elsa. A great big soppy thing with their arms wrapped around each other that seemed to just keep going.

"Make sure to take care of my girl," Hans said, releasing Anna. Anna tottered a bit, like she was out of breath. Elsa's hands curled into fists inside her coat pockets. She glared at the intersecting lines of the tiles on the floor rather than look either of them in the face. She was nauseous and lightheaded for some reason.

"That's not really appropriate behaviour for a work situation, Mr. Sorlig." It came out as a snarl.

"Awww, Elsa, he's not gonna see me for a week. I think-" She felt Anna touch her shoulder and she jerked away, reflexively.

"I think that you're both adults and can contain your personal affairs to private." She grabbed the handle of her rolling carry-on luggage and stalked off to the security line.

The moment she was standing still, away from the both of them she wondered what had just happened. That wasn't any way to act. She didn't care if people (in general) went around kissing each other in public. She didn't even really think it inappropriate at work, as long as it didn't interfere with said work. But it was really, really bothering her with Anna and Hans. With Hans' stupid hands on Anna's curvy hips. And Hans' stupid mouth on Anna's cute little cupid's bow lips.

She heard Anna come up behind her in line, but didn't look around. They went through the line, checked their bags and made their way through the airport in silence.

"Hold up for a sec," was the first thing Anna said, as they passed through the duty-free mall. Elsa stopped and waited, feeling worse and worse about herself as the moments passed. She couldn't have just ignored it, could she? She let her temper get away from her, again, and now Anna was going to be mad. Why did Anna even spend time with her? She was the ice queen, fit to hang out with no one but oblivious IT guys who she couldn't actually hurt with her acid tongue.

"Here you go." Anna had returned. It took Elsa a moment to realise she was holding out a Timmy's cup and doughnut bag.

"Huh?"

"They were out of chocolate sprinkles so we're back to Boston cream." She held them out an inch closer.

"I just snapped at you for no reason and you're buying me a doughnut," Elsa said. She really didn't know why she was protesting. Anna wasn't mad and there was chocolate.

"I know you didn't really mean it."

"I'm a bitch." There, she said it. "You shouldn't be putting up with me."

Anna was shaking her head, a smile on her face. "You're nicer after you've eaten."

She pressed the cup into Elsa's hand, "Drink your crack. I don't think they'll let you bring it on the plane."

* * *

 

Anna had her nose pressed to the window of the rental car as Elsa drove them north of Quebec City. Evergreen trees blurred past the window. She waited for glimpses of the Saint Lawrence through the window, hoping to see a whale despite Elsa's insistence that they wouldn't see one this far inland.

Eventually they turned away from the river along a narrow road that led exclusively to the resort. It was on its own small lake, surrounded by Quebec's special brand of half-sized mountains.

When they finally rounded a bend and caught sight of the resort Anna gasped. Next to her, Elsa gave a satisfied smirk.

The place was huge. A large old-stone building loomed almost like a castle. This far North, snow still covered everything in a white, sparkling blanket. Smoke curled out of old chimneys. Bits of the roof peeked out from the snow, copper aged to a minty green.

Smaller buildings surrounded the main building. They were newer, but were a lovely log cabin style that made the whole place feel old-fashioned.

And Elsa technically owned this whole place. And others like it.

This gave a new meaning to Anna's definition of 'rich.'

Elsa pulled up to the main building. A valet and two bellhops, dressed in a navy-blue uniforms, jogged to open the doors of the car almost as soon as she turned off the engine.

" _Ah, merci beaucoup,_ " Elsa said, handing him the keys. She said something else in rapid French, quickly leaving Anna's limited knowledge of the language in the dust. The man gave a little bow – which was super fancy – and climbed into the driver's seat.

"You speak French?" Anna was suitably impressed and more than a little turned on by this development. It was a proven fact that people who spoke french were 80% hotter. Considering that Elsa was already at 100% in that department this was pushing her into possible lethal levels of attractiveness.

"Yes. You don't?" Elsa looked like this idea was completely foreign to her. She began to follow the bellhops up toward the double doors. "Didn't you have french in school?"

"Of course. But I quit after grade nine. If I had to learn to conjugate verbs for one more year I may have drowned myself in Bouillabaisse. How did you stand it?"

Elsa shrugged. "I had a really good tutor for French. I also learned Mandarin, for business."

"Wow, you're dad really cared about your education."

For some reason, Elsa's face clouded over. "Yeah," she said, and started walking faster. Anna jumped a couple steps to catch up.

"Yoo hoo!"

Anna's first impression was of a wall of fuzzy, brightly coloured stripes.

The wall, it turned out when she took a step back, was the chest of the largest man she had ever seen. He was wearing a knitted sweater that looked like it belonged on another planet.

"I am Mr. Oaken. Welcome to  _La Fontaine de Tranquillit_ _é_. It is an honour to have you here, Ms. Arendelle. And you are Ms. Summers, ya?"

She shook the big man's hand, a grin spreading across her face. His accent in English was undeniably Swedish. "Call me Anna," she said.

"It's kind of you to greet us personally, Mr. Oaken. I have heard nothing but good things of your management of this place," Elsa said.

Anna wanted to giggle at Elsa's formal tone – so stiff and awkward – but she didn't. Oaken shook Elsa's hand next and opened the doors for them.

Before Anna could get a good look at the inside, gleeful voices and small bodies assaulted them.

"Da, is this your boss?"

"Is it the redhead or the blond one?"

"I like the blond one. She should be the boss."

"Yeah. Red looks more like the peppy sidekick."

There were four brown-haired children swarming them and Oaken, blinking up with wide blue eyes. Elsa had frozen solid, a deer caught in the headlights of cuteness.

"Children," Oaken said. The four little ones immediately backed off, going to stand beside their father.

"Ms. Arendelle, Ms. Anna, this is my family. Say, Hi, family."

The kids all waved. "Yoo Hoo!"

Anna waved back.

"Now go find Papa. You will get in the way of the guests." The kids ran off.

Elsa was still frozen on the spot. Anna nudged her in the ribs, making her jump.

"Could you show us to our rooms?" Elsa asked. "Airports take a lot out of me."

"Of course, Ms. Arendelle. I'll go get the keys and be back in a jiff, ya?"

Anna giggled at the look that was still on Elsa's face. "They're so cute," Anna said.

"There's so many of them."

"Do you think Oaken would notice if I stole one?"

Elsa smirked.

* * *

 

"Oh. My. God."

Anna stood in the doorway, staring at the room. Elsa peeked in behind her, trying to figure out if this was just normal Anna 'oh my God' or if something was wrong.

It was normal Anna. She was staring at the suite, bouncing slightly on the balls of her feet in excitement.

It was an impressive suite. It was larger than Elsa's suite at home, and more eloquently decorated. Anna, unable to contain herself apparently, ran into the room.

"You can see the pools outside – people are swimming and it's March! A real fireplace! Oh my God – there's a jacuzzi in here!"

Elsa considered that she should probably tell Anna to stop saying "Oh my God" so much. It wasn't nearly as polite in Quebec as it was back home. Anna ran into the bedroom and began to gush about the king sized bed.

"She is very pleased, ya?" Oaken said. Elsa couldn't help but smile as Anna kicked off her shoes to bounce on the bed.

"Looks like," she said. Anna's braids bounced, flying around her shoulders as she laughed like a child. She flopped onto her back after a moment and buried herself in the pillows. "I could spend all day in here," she said, her voice muffled by the down.

Heat was creeping up Elsa's neck. She coughed and looked back at Oaken. "This is excellent. Could you show me to my room, now?"

Oaken looked confused. "This is your room."

"Okay," she said quickly. That made sense – it was obviously the best suite in the hotel. "Where's Anna's room?"

Oaken's eye's looked quickly from Anna, still on the bed, to Elsa. He tapped his fingers together nervously. "... you are not... oh, dear."

"Oh dear?" she repeated, the bottom dropping out of her stomach. She knew what he was going to say.

"See, we were under the impression that you would be sharing room, ya?"

She looked quickly at Anna, who was oblivious to the conversation in the doorway. She was currently stretching out like a cat. Her shirt was riding up, her jeans riding low. There were freckles dotting her hips.

Elsa grabbed Oaken's arm, pulling him out of the door slightly and lowering her voice.

"You need to get me another room. I don't care if it's the cheapest room you have, but you need to book another room for me."

Oaken shifted uncomfortably. "Oh, dear. I'm afraid there are no rooms. See, we have a supply and demand problem."

"No rooms? This is a hotel. There's always a free room, somewhere. A cancelled booking-"

"We have none. There is the festival going on this week and we are already the most popular resort in the area."

Elsa stared at him, despair growing in her. This couldn't be happening. Why would the universe do this to her?

Anna had hopped down from the bed and skipped over to join them. She looked at their tense faces. "Hey, what's up?

Elsa remained stony faced, staring out the bay windows as Oaken explained the situation. Predictably, Anna wasn't worried.

"This room is huge anyway. We can share, right Elsa?"

Elsa grunted. Both Anna and Oaken took it as a yes.

"We serve you private dinner tonight, okay?" Oaken said earnestly as he was about to leave. "So there are no hard feelings, ya?"

"We'd love to," Anna said and skipped off to inspect the minibar.

* * *

 

"This is my husband, André."

Anna looked at the young, blond, muscular man carrying a tray of brownies. He was wearing an apron over a grey suit. "Whoa," she said. She turned to Oaken, "Good job, Oaken."

"I know, ya?" Oaken was still wearing the fabulous sweater, but he made it look almost fancy. André nudged him in the ribs as he passed to the dining room.

"And these are Emmanuel, Gabriel and Elise." Three children, an older girl in a pink dress and the two boys in slacks and button ups followed André with plates, cutlery and glasses.

"Thank you for inviting us, Mr. Oaken," Elsa said. She'd been tense ever since arriving, Anna noticed. She was probably put out by all the new people – it was like being at a party but they would certainly notice if she tried to hide in their bathroom. Hopefully André's chocolate brownies would help.

Oaken lived in one of the log buildings on the grounds. It was a fair sized home, but it felt small and cozy with the two big men and four children running between the kitchen and the dining room. Elsa and Anna were ushered into the den to sit down and wait. The youngest child, a little girl called Gigi, played host.

"Are you guys married? Do you have any kids? Are they with you?" she shot out in rapid succession the moment Elsa and Anna sat down next to each other. She had a bit of childish lisp and a French accent. Anna decided she was stealing this one.

"No, we don't have any kids," she said.

"Awww," Gigi said. Anna giggled and peeked over at Elsa.

She was sitting rigid in her seat, eyes wide and shocked, hands clasped firmly together.

"They are not married,  _ma chou,_ " Oaken said.

"But Papa said Ms. Elsa was bringing  _sa petite amie_."

André, who was passing with a crock of soup, turned red. " _Non, ma chou, son amie. Amie._ "

"But you said-"

" _Son amie._ "

Anna tried to follow the French part of the conversation. As far as she could tell, they were trying to decide whether she was a friend or a small sized friend. She'd ask Elsa about it later.

Gigi pouted. "You're both really pretty. You should be married."

Elsa's ears were red. Anna could feel her face flushing too. Oaken, coming in from the kitchen, laughed. "Ah, kids. They are funny, ya?"

Anna forced a laugh.

"Dinner is ready," André said loudly. Elsa shot up from her seat like it was on fire and, when she sat down at the table, seemed to make a point of sitting as far from Anna as possible.

* * *

 

"Gosh, I'm exhausted," Anna said, yawning and stretching her arms up into the air. Her top lifted with the movement, exposing a small strip of skin above the waist of her jeans.

Elsa suppressed her own yawn. She wanted nothing more than to curl up and go to sleep. But the thought of going up to the room with Anna and going through getting ready for bed and the inevitable discussion of who would sleep where was too much for her.

"I'm going to go for a walk," she said quickly. "I want to familiarize myself with the property."

Anna nodded sleepily. She briefly leaned against Elsa, wrapping an arm around her waist. "Night-night," she said, her breath brushing against Elsa's neck. She shivered when Anna leg go, pulling her arms tight to her stomach as she watched Anna slump off to the elevator.

* * *

 

Elsa nursed her fourth beer.

She didn't like beer, but she didn't want to get into heavy liquor in public. She was pretty sure she'd already intimidated the bar staff as she was technically their employer's employer's employer. Or something.

She was thinking. And avoiding Anna, if she was being honest with herself.

By the end of the fourth beer, she was very much being honest with herself.

She decided, very firmly, that this... this whatever it was, was all Sachiko's fault.

Elsa used to be normal. A bit bookish, a bit quiet, very well behaved. Then her father sent her to St. Willibrord's Catholic Academy for Girls when she started high-school. He wasn't particularly religious, but he liked the values of the school and the complete lack of boys for her to get into trouble with.

He probably would have been better sending her to an all-boys school, if that was his worry.

That was where Elsa met Sachiko. She was a bit rebellious, and a lot of cute. She smoked and cussed and was constantly spouting innuendos. Elsa sat beside her in first period, and took notice of her when she was trying to see if she could set her desk on fire without the nuns noticing.

Elsa liked her. She hadn't thought the word 'gay' but it was there, plaguing her every time they touched or Sachiko leered at her while biting her bottom lip.

She couldn't remember who had kissed who first, but that didn't matter. Elsa had known it was wrong, against what her teachers and her father thought. But she hadn't cared. She was rebellious and her own woman.

Or maybe she was just horny and fourteen.

Either way, by the time her Dad had got home they'd both lost their shirts and she had Sachiko pinned beneath her on her bed.

He hadn't yelled. He'd very calmly asked Sachiko to leave. Then very calmly withdrew Elsa from St. Willibrord's, hiring a series of first class tutors. All male and over the age of fifty.

Or maybe it wasn't Sachiko's fault at all. Maybe it was her father's.

While grooming her to be the heir to his empire he had simultaneously kept her away from people. Normal people that she could have created normal relationships with. By the time she went to university, she was so socially inept that he didn't need to worry about her having a friendship with another human being, let alone a relationship.

She downed her sixth beer.

Her father loved her. She knew that. She kept telling herself that. She kept clinging to that.

She knew it was his beliefs that made him do it. His desire to protect his daughter from something he believed was evil. His desire to make Elsa believe it too.

And she had.

Except...

She hadn't.

She could look at Oaken and say, 'he is a good person'. His husband is a wonderful person, too. An amazing cook. Their kids... it should be illegal for children to be that adorable. It was a perfect, happy family and she couldn't look at that and think 'evil'.

And Anna.

 _Anna_.

She was crazier than Sachiko.

Oaken found her with her face pressed against the cold counter of the bar. The place had long since emptied, all the chairs except for hers placed on the tables and most of the lights turned off.

"Ms. Elsa? Are you alright?"

She lifted her head.

"Maybe?"

"I only ask because my bartender would like to go home, ya?"

She looked at her watch. 2 a.m.

"Oh, sorry. I'll go to my room."

She stood, stumbling a bit. How much had she drunk? Oaken caught her arm.

"I help you upstairs, ya?"

She mumbled something, unsure if she was saying no or yes. He began to lead her toward the lobby.

As he pressed the button for the top floor, she leaned against the mirrored walls of the elevator and surveyed him. He was such a happy person, she realised.

Elsa wanted to be a happy person.

"Oaken – can I ask you a personal question?"

"Oh, ya, of course, Ms. Elsa."

"How did you... uh... realise that you were... attracted to men?"

He laughed. "You've seen my husband, ya?"

Elsa nodded.

"I do not think there is anyone who would not be attracted to men after meeting him, see?"

Elsa thought about it. "I guess I could see it... but I don't really, I guess."

Oaken raised an eyebrow as the elevator dinged for her floor. "Ah... see, Ms. Elsa, I think you answered the question you really wanted answered, ya?"

"Huh?"

"If you are not attracted to my husband, you will not be attracted to anyone's husband."

"Oh..."

She stumbled to the room. Peeking in the bedroom, she could see a mass of red hair and covers. She wondered what would happen if she went over to the bed and prodded Anna awake. Or kissed her.

 _Bad idea_ , said the part of her that was still thinking clearly.

She made her way to the couch and flopped down, pressing her face into the leather and curling up into a ball.

_Dad was dumb._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off: Sorry about the French. To the french speakers, that is. I have no idea if I did it right because when it comes to french, I am Anna.
> 
> Second: Ummmm *fangirls about this chapter so hard*
> 
> Third: I'm an awful author who doesn't really reply to reviews all that much. My editor/co-writer/personal-flotation-device says that I need to start doing that instead of just reading them repeatedly and grinning like an idiot. So yeah, gonna try that. Because I love you. And I fear her.
> 
> Fourth: So my out line for the next chapter is "Fluff". Literally. You're welcome.
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> Capt. Elfy


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elsa and Anna spend a fluffy, fun filled day together.

Elsa woke to the incessant chirping of birds digging like sharp needles into her ears. She moved to pull the covers over her head. Her arm made the uncomfortable squelching noise of being peeled away from leather. She groaned and pushed herself up, her face making the same noise as it was pulled away from the couch.

 _Right_. _I slept on the couch._

_In my clothes._

She sighed as she surveyed the wrinkled fabric of her blouse and slacks. She hadn't even taken off her shoes, and the straps were digging in painfully through her nylons.

The birds kept chirping, reminding her exactly how many beers she had drunk the night before. She kicked the shoes off and wobbled her way to the bathroom.

She stopped at the door to the bedroom. Anna was still asleep.  _How?_  With all the noise the birds were making, Elsa would have thought it impossible. She had one arm thrown over her head and was snoring with an open mouth. Drool trickled down one side of her mouth.

And her hair! Elsa covered her mouth, stifling a laugh. If Elsa had thought Anna's hair unruly before the Weselton party, it was nothing compared to how it was now. It stuck up everywhere, completely defying the laws of gravity.

Elsa could feel that familiar feeling in her gut – anxiety and happiness and a sort of sickening delightful humming – as she looked at Anna. Affection and, yes, desire. She could name it now. And that just seemed to make it stronger.

 _I'll think about that more when I'm not hung-over_ , she decided and continued to the bathroom.

* * *

" _Bonjour_ , Elsa," André said as she entered the dining room. He was thankfully child-free and appeared to be making the rounds to check on the guests. " _Comment_ _ç_ _a va?"_

 _"_ _Ç_ _a va bie-"_ She stopped herself. That would be an outright lie, if she said she was 'good'. "Hung-over."

Andre smiled. "Coffee?"

She thought about it. "Could you mix it with hot-chocolate?" Gosh, what had Anna done to her? She couldn't even drink coffee normally anymore because of her.

"Sure."

She watched André walk away. He was very tall, muscular. Good strong jaw. Blond hair and brown eyes. He was well dressed in a pressed, button-up shirt and slacks. He was very attractive by all standard definitions.

But not to Elsa.

 _Dammit_.

She sighed and settled herself into a seat in the corner. Well, there went that hope.

As she sipped her cafe-mocha (André had even put whip-cream on it for her) she considered her next move.

She was a lesbian. There, she had said it. Or, at least, thought it in a complete sentence while sober. And she was definitely attracted to Anna.

What was she going to do about it?

She wasn't going to run back upstairs and profess her undying love to Anna. Definitely not. That only happened in romance novels of the worst sort. For one thing, she wasn't sure she was  _that_  ready to accept things. For another, Anna was dating Hans.

 _Stupid Hans_.

She immediately felt ashamed for thinking that. Like Anna would want to date her, even if she wasn't with Hans. She was awkward and rude and completely incapable of acting like a normal person. Anna deserved to be with someone who would have fun.

Anna had that person. She had Hans.

But...

Anna knows how to deal with people.

She also knows how to be attracted to girls without spazzing out.

Elsa knew neither of those things. And for the first time, she was interested in learning.

She could control her feelings, couldn't she, and be friends with Anna? They could be friends, and they could do things that normal friends did. Because when it came to normal friends, Olaf didn't count. Maybe, if they became friends, Elsa's attraction to her would go away and life would go back to normal. Maybe even better than normal.

After all, she'd kept her feelings to herself for fifteen years. It wouldn't be that hard. She decided to return to their room, where she would calmly ask Anna to be her normal, not in any way romantic, friend.

* * *

Anna was on the bed with her feet in the air. She was flossing her teeth with one hand, brushing her hair with the other, and trying to use the power of gravity to put her jeans on.

"Erm..." Elsa said. She had stopped dead in the doorway. Anna stopped moving and stared at her for a moment.

"I thought I was late," she said, as an explanation. "For breakfast."

_This is the woman that is making me face my sexuality?_

Her panties had the Wonder Woman logo on them.

_Yup._

Elsa wheeled around, shutting the door before someone else saw this predicament. Her face was burning like a thousand suns. She wanted to bolt from the room, but she held herself. She had promised herself she would ask and she wasn't going to let this off-the-chart reaction to dorky underwear get in the way.

"They serve all day breakfast. It's a resort," she said after she took a few carefully measured breaths. "I just went down early."

She heard Anna moving very quickly behind her, muttered curses, an 'oops' then 'ouch!'. Elsa looked over her shoulder.

Anna had – somehow - fallen off the bed. At least she had gotten her pants on.

"Sorry," Anna said. Her face was as red as a beat.

"Its... Its okay. I shouldn't have barged in." She went over and offered a hand, helping Anna to her feet.

Anna shrugged and gave an awkward laugh. "Well, we're both women right? Just like a locker room."

Elsa made an indistinct noise. The last time Elsa had been in a locker room, breasts had been absent from the other girls. And everyone tried to change without actually taking off any clothes, anyway. She quickly dropped the warm, soft hand she still held.

"So did you see my underwear?" Anna asked, suddenly. "Don't make me use the lasso of truth on you."

The question was so absurd, Elsa let out a bark of laughter. She covered her mouth with her hand.

"Sorry," she said, her voice muffled by her palm.

"You realise that I'm going to have to kill you now that you know my shameful secret?" Anna smirked and grabbed her hairbrush off the bed, heading toward the powder room.

"That you like super heroes?" Elsa asked, confused. After all, she had shown off her love of Call of Duty. She was pretty sure they matched evenly on the scale of nerdiness.

"No, that I like DC better than Marvel."

Another fabulous snort-laugh escaped Elsa.

She followed Anna to the vanity, unsure of what she was doing. Was she being creepy? But they were having a conversation – that meant she should continue said conversation. Possibly. Great. Now that she was actively trying to act like a normal human being she had no idea what she was doing.

It was kind of worrying.

"You're in a good mood," Anna said as she began to brush her hair. "Did you have breakfast without me?"

"André makes a good cafe-mocha," she said. "It might even be better than Tim Hortons."

Anna laughed, causing Elsa's heart to leap. "Sacrilege!" she cried.

"I think it has real chocolate in it," Elsa added jokingly.

"Did you bring me one?"

Her smile disappeared.  _Shit._ "Ah... I'm sorry. I should have thought of that."

"I'm joking," Anna said, turning around to roll her eyes at Elsa. "I still need to get breakfast anyway."

Elsa watched as she picked up an elastic and stuck it in her mouth before continuing to brush her hair into a ponytail. Now she was just hanging there, watching Anna like a creeper. She had to ask her, or leave.

 _Here goes nothing_.

"Do you want... I mean we don't have to... it's up to you really..."

Anna raised an eyebrow in the mirror. Elsa saw her cheeks colour. "Spi' i' ou'," Anna said, the elastic in her mouth slurring her pronunciation.

"Did you want to hang out... with me? Today."

 _Oh, god, I sound like I'm fifteen. This is why I don't talk to people_.

Anna's hands froze, holding her hair in a ponytail, the elastic still hanging from her mouth.

"Never mind, you don't have to," Elsa said quickly. "It was just an idea, since we don't have any meetings today but-"

"Are you kidding?" The elastic dropped to the floor as Anna's mouth curved into a big grin. "Of course I do! What do you want to do?" Elsa retrieved the elastic for Anna, watching as she tamed her hair into a loose ponytail that brushed her shoulders as she turned her head side to side. Anna began to babble excitedly. "I was thinking I'd go swimming later but I wanted to check out the ski hills – just to watch, though, I'd be an absolute disaster on skis. Of course, we could always drive back into Quebec City, couldn't we? Old Quebec could be fun, or we can check out the club scene tonight. If you want – do you go to clubs?"

"Whatever you'd like is fine," Elsa said, her heart beating faster. She felt excited, but also scared. A whole day with Anna – no, a whole week? This was going to be interesting.

* * *

"Why are we doing this again?" Anna asked, staring out the glass door at the pool deck. It was obviously a heated pool. Gentle steam wafted off of it. A couple of people were swimming, only their heads showing above the water.

But there was space between them and the pool. Space that even had snow in piles around the edge of the walkway. Swimming and snow were not things that mixed in Anna's head.

"You're the one who suggested it," Elsa pointed out. Anna glanced back at her.

_Right. This is why I suggested it._

Elsa in a bathing suit. It was an ice blue one-piece, but that didn't stop it from being the most nose-bleed inducing outfit Anna could imagine. The fabric around her breasts and hips was artfully ruched to accentuate those features and it was low cut enough that Elsa was showing cleavage. It had no back to it, essentially, except for where the straps crossed in a knot below her shoulder blades. Elsa was standing with her arms wrapped around her middle, self-conscious, and looking anywhere but at Anna.

Anna felt incredibly childish in her outfit, by comparison. She had opted for her favourite boy-shorts and bikini-top combo when packing. She liked how the shorts rode low on her hips and the colourful designs on both pieces, but with her hair in a pony-tale she felt completely outclassed by her boss.

She  _was_  outclassed by her boss.

"I vote we count to three and make a break for it," Anna decided, unable to stand there looking at Elsa for much longer. Her brain was going to start suggesting not-safe-for-work things soon.

"I think I'll just go to the hot-tub..." Elsa said slowly, taking a step back.

"No, we're doing this." Anna grabbed her hand, holding it tightly so she wouldn't run away. Was it her imagination, or was Elsa blushing?

Maybe it was just the heat inside the building. That was it.

"One... two... three!" She shoved the door open and she pulled Elsa into a sprint. She shrieked at the cold under her feet as they ran across the deck.

She let go of Elsa's hand as she leapt, pulling her legs up into a cannon ball. A wave of warm water rolled away from her as she landed in the pool. A couple of the other bathers yelled in protest.

The water was perfect – not as hot as a hot-tub, but warm enough to make it comfortable. She let herself float there a second before kicking off from the bottom to resurface.

She gasped and pushed her bangs out of her face, then looked around for Elsa.

Elsa was standing on the edge of the pool, her arms wrapped around herself again.

"Elsa!" Anna complained.

"I really think I'll just go to the hot-tubs..."

"Why?"

"Uh..."

That's what Anna thought. She was either afraid, or embarrassed, and Anna wasn't going to put up with this. She wasn't going to give up an opportunity to see Elsa get wet, even if it killed her.

"If you don't come in, I'm going to get out and throw you in."

"I am your boss!"

"Don't pull that on me. You're my friend, too. That means I have special throwing-in-pool privileges."

Elsa didn't seem to know what to make of that statement. She bit her lip and looked down at her feet. She was shivering now. Of course she was – it was only six degrees above freezing out.

Her mind made up, Anna hauled herself out of the pool and onto the deck. The cold air hit her wet skin like an icy blast, but she ignored it.

"Anna-" Elsa said. She held up her hands, taking another step back. Anna grinned and lunged.

Elsa actually squeaked, turning to run as Anna chased her. She wasn't prepared, though.

Anna caught her, her arms wrapping around Elsa's middle and pulling her close to her. "I'm giving you 'til three," she warned. "One..."

What was she doing? Part of her brain was demanding to know. She had her arms wrapped around her boss's waist. Their torsos were pressed up together. Anna's head was resting on Elsa's shoulder, her cheek touching her long neck. Elsa's arms were on top of Anna's, trying to pry them open. If she was going to avoid dirty thoughts this was not something she should be doing.

"Two..."

"No! Anna, I'm serious. Don't." Elsa sounded scared and overwhelmed. Tense.

Anna released her at once. She took a few quick steps back.  _Dammit_.  _What am I thinking_?

"Sorry," she said quickly. "That was childish."

Elsa didn't look around. She was standing stiffly, shivering. Had Anna really scared her?

Anna's teeth started to chatter. Still watching Elsa, she quickly slipped back into the pool to keep warm and to give Elsa some space.

 _Dammit dammit dammit,_  she thought over and over.  _Way to go, idiot_. Elsa turned to look at Anna, a pained expression on her face.

"Sorry," Anna repeated.

"No, no, you just... startled me," she said. She appeared to be fighting with herself, glancing at the door to the inside, then at the pool. She took a step closer to Anna, sat down on the edge and then dangled her legs in.

Anna stayed a few metres back, waiting to see if she'd actually come in.

Elsa pushed off, jumping into the pool, going fully underwater.

When she emerged, she was smiling.

Her hair was also fighting loose of its braid, wet tendrils clinging to her neck and her face. Drops of water rolled off of her chin and down her neck.

 _Damn_.

"It wasn't as cold as I was expecting," Elsa noted.

Anna clapped her hands together and tackle-hugged Elsa, happy to have her finally in the water.

Elsa froze again. Anna realised that now their chests were pressed together. She looked at Elsa's face – they were inches apart. She could see the individual strands of Elsa's hair as they clung to her forehead. Elsa's eyes were wide.

"Oops," she said, letting go. She needed to control her natural urge to hug everything. She gave a nervous giggle, then dove under the water.

 _Come on, Anna_ , she thought as she swam to put as much distance between her and Elsa as she could.  _She's your boss._

_Just your boss._

* * *

"There's a maple syrup festival going on!" Anna had barged into the suite and grabbed her winter coat. She was practically bouncing on the spot.

"A maple syrup festival?" Elsa repeated. The words didn't match the level of enthusiasm that Anna was giving her. After swimming and having a lunch together, Elsa was ready to have a nap. Maybe ski on the slopes a little in the evening. But Anna looked like a child who'd been told Christmas was coming early.

"We should go on a sugar-bush tour," she said. "They have horse-drawn carriages leaving right from the resort!"

Elsa considered this. She couldn't understand what appeal a sugar-bush tour held, but then she'd never been on one.

"Wait –" Anna said, stopping with one arm in her coat and staring at Elsa in shock. "Haven't you ever been to a sugar-shack?"

"No. I take it this is some sort of horrible travesty?"

"But – didn't you go to Quebec on school trips? Every grade seven student in the country comes here. It's tradition."

"I think I went to Sweden in grade seven – or was that year Germany?"

Anna blinked. Then shook her head. She pulled on her coat and shoved her hat over her head.

"We are going on this tour, right now."

"But-"

"No arguments. No excuses. Get your coat on and meet me outside in ten."

* * *

"See, I told you this was amazing!"

Elsa smiled. They were in a wooded shack in the middle of a maple forest and had just been served the best meal she could remember having. She had cleared her plate of all traces of pancakes, beans, sausage and bacon. And maple syrup. Anna, having poured on way to much to begin with, still had a puddle of syrup collected on the paper plate.

On impulse, Elsa reached out and dragged her fingers through the syrup, intending to lick it off her fingers.

Anna grabbed her hand. "My syrup," she scolded.

And then she licked Elsa's fingers.

A moment later, Anna turned a bright red. Elsa had frozen, her hand still held out in front of her like she was some kind of bizarre statue.

_What?_

" _If everyone could dispose of their plates, we'll continue,_ " the tour-guide said in French to the room. Anna leapt to her feet, grabbing her their plates and fleeing without looking at Elsa.

_What?_

* * *

They had been prevented from attending any possible trip to Old Quebec or exploring and nightlife there was to speak of. But that, apparently, was not what was bothering Anna.

"God dammit, I want Timmy's," she said for the third time that evening.

Elsa looked up from her book. Anna was draped over the couch, laptop on her lap and was staring longingly out the window at the snow blowing past in the dark. The temperature had dropped drastically with nightfall, and snow had come on suddenly.

"There's a blizzard out and the closest one is thirty minutes away," Elsa said pragmatically.

"How does that happen in Canada?" Anna slumped further into the couch. She had her legs wrapped up in a fuzzy blanket and was wearing two sweaters. A fire blazed in the hearth. Anna had insisted on it. Elsa had thought she was trying to boil herself alive.

"A blizzard in March?" Elsa asked.

"No. Being so far away from Tim Horton's. I thought it was the law that we had to have one every two blocks."

Elsa giggled. "You're a hopeless addict."

Anna stuck out her tongue.

"Order a hot chocolate from room service," Elsa suggested. "That's what being at a place like this is all about."

Anna pouted.

"Fine," Elsa said, ignoring Anna's melodramatics. "I'll order some for both of us."

"It's not the same."

Elsa ignored her and made the call. She stood and stretched. Out of the chair, she noticed how much the temperature had dropped. She could feel Anna watching her as she went and added another log to the fire.

She returned to her book until the soft knock and call of " _Service du chambre."_

"Maybe I can live with this," Anna conceded a minute later, taking the glass mug and ogling the mountain of whip cream.

"Well, it's no paper cup with a pile of sludge at the bottom," Elsa said. She took a sip. It was heaven – perfectly made with real dark chocolate and heavy cream.

Anna moaned with happiness after her first sip. When she set the cup down, Elsa giggled.

"What?" Anna asked.

"You have whip cream on your nose," Elsa said. Anna grimaced and rubbed it off. Her face was too sweet and cherubic. Elsa turned quickly to look out at the snow.

"It is too cold right now," she decided as she cradled the cup to her, warming her hands. She wished she had brought warmer things. She had foolishly hoped for more spring-like weather.

Anna sat up, putting the mug on the side table. She shifted the blanket so it was over her shoulders. One arm, holding a corner of the blanket, extended, inviting Elsa to sit next to her.

An immediate battle began in Elsa's head. She wanted to sit there. But should she? It seemed like they kept touching, and every time Elsa felt like her nerves were going to snap from the closeness. She took another sip of her hot chocolate, debating.

"Are you gonna sit, or am I going to hold my arm out like a dork all night?" Anna asked finally. Elsa bit her lip.

"I'll sit," she said. Anna immediately wrapped her arm and the blanket around Elsa's shoulders.

_Just relax. It's just friendly. Nothing special about this. Just friends sitting together in front of the fire on a cold night..._

Anna rested her head on Elsa's shoulder.

Her hair was soft and tickled Elsa's neck. She smelled like a mixture of the hotel shampoo and wood smoke from the sugar-bush tour.

Neither of them spoke. Despite Elsa's tension, it was a comfortable silence. It had been a long day, Elsa thought, but a good one. A fun one, even. The idea made her smile. When had been the last time she'd had a full day she could call fun?

 _Ninth grade_.

She rested her head on Anna's, letting herself relax for the first time in forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're not on tumblr, or you didn't see them amazing peeps have made fanart of the fic. I am so boggled by that. You guys are amazing: hmselssana . tumblr . com search/Anna+summers+PA (take out the spaces and add a slash between com and search)
> 
> Also, you should follow me on tumblr. :)
> 
> Capt. Elfy


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick note: 'ma blonde' is a Quebecois expression for 'my girlfriend' (I've been assured). That's all you need to know right now.

 

Elsa hit the slopes early in the morning, before Anna woke up.

Her plan wasn't working. Every time she and Anna connected, whether over maple syrup or hot chocolate, she wanted her more. Not less.

She could still control it, though. She kept telling herself that. She just needed to keep trying. And to get some decent exercise – hence the skiing. Two hours of doing the hardest runs, and she was sweaty, tired, and happy with herself. It was focusing, and liberating. As she trooped back to the lodge, skis over one shoulder, she made a note to get her self a pass for next year.

"Elsa!" She was pulled out of her thoughts by Anna's joyful shout, followed by those of the children. Looking up, she saw Anna, Gigi and another of the children – was it Emmanuel? - building snow forts. "We saw you skiing," Anna said as she packed on a handful on snow. "You're amazing."

Elsa's ears grew warm under her hat. "Thank you," she said, looking down at her feet. She hoped they hadn't been watching for a long time. She had taken a few runs to warm up.

Anna didn't notice Elsa's embarrassment. "Gigi's been teaching me some French!" she said.

"Oh?" Elsa asked. She brushed at the snow on her skis. She didn't like the way Emmanuel was giggling into his hand or Gigi's impish smile.

"Here, let me try...  _C'est ma blonde_." she said in halting, horribly pronounced French. She was pointing at Elsa. "Right, Gigi?"

The children erupted into laughter. Elsa felt her face turn red. They were actually trying to make her and Anna be... together. Next they would probably start singing "Anna and Elsa sitting in a tree."

Anna looks confused. "I said it right, didn't I?"

Elsa pinched the bridge of her nose and took a deep breath before asking, "what do you think you just said?"

"That you're blond."

"Gigi, you better go find your Papa," Elsa said, staring down the little girl. Gigi giggled into her hand.

"Why?"

She bent down so her face was on level with the little girl's. She put on her best glower, trying to let her know with a look that she was  _not_  amused. "Because you don't want me to go find him first,  _compris_?"

Gigi giggled again. " _Allez, Emmanuel,_ " she said, turning to her brother. " _Je pense nous l'avons énervée_."

They ran off, laughing like little manic demons.

"So what  _did_  I say?" Anna asked, standing up and brushing snow off of her coat. She was looking between Elsa and the retreating children.

"Never mind," Elsa said quickly. She started heading back toward the hotel, walking quickly so that Anna was left behind. "We have to get ready for the meeting."

"But what did I say?" Anna called after her.

Elsa jogged faster and pretended not to hear.

* * *

The hotel was beautiful – there was no denying that. The main building was over a hundred years old, giving it an authentic feel. The surrounding grounds were a wonder, with preserved ruins of old farm buildings. It was perfect in every way.

Except when you wanted to change something and the  _Soci_ _é_ _t_ _è_ _Historique_ got all up in arms about it. Oaken had been fighting with them for months about the planned renovations to the grand ballroom to no effect. It was this that prompted Elsa to come to Quebec herself.

"This is amazing," Anna gasped as they entered the ballroom. She pushed through the door and ran out into the middle of the floor, gazing up at the vaulted ceiling and the columns that surrounded the room. Elsa smiled to herself. Anna was so easily impressed. It was... refreshing.

"Actually, this isn't all that impressive as ballrooms go," Elsa pointed out, closing the door behind her and coming out into the room. "It was renovated last in 1973 and the decor is definitely dated by now. You should see the plans that Oaken had drafted. They're – Anna, what are you doing?"

Anna was twirling on the spot, dancing to imaginary music. She bowed to an invisible partner. "Why, yes, Sir. I would love to waltz!" she said, before continuing her twirling.

"That is not how you waltz," Elsa told her, at a loss for anything else to say.

Anna stopped mid twirl, hands held up in a pretend embrace, keen interest alighting her eyes. "Are you saying you know how?"

"I took dancing lessons," Elsa admitted. "My father wanted me to know the basics of ballroom for formal events."

Anna skipped over. She held out a hand and gave an awkward bow.

"Would you be so kind as to give me this dance, m'lady?"

Elsa didn't move.

"Come on, Elsa, I want to see you dance."

There was no way she could say no. Anna was peering up at her through her long, ginger lashes, her hand waiting expectantly for Elsa's.

She reached out and took Anna's hand. Anna's dazzling smile was her immediate reward. She pulled Anna upright and placed her hand on her shoulder. Elsa grasped the other hand in her own, holding it high.

"Look at my feet, and follow them," she instructed. She stepped her right foot back and Anna followed with her left. Pleased that she was catching on so quickly, Elsa led her in a circle around the room.

Elsa felt a bit ridiculous, dancing with no music. She hadn't liked dancing all that much to begin with. But Anna watched her feet closely and, once she had the rhythm, actually began to hum a tune. It wasn't a waltz – it wasn't even the right metre, but Elsa felt herself relax and begin to dance to the song. It felt familiar.

Anna's eyes closed as they danced, going back into her own world. She was wearing her usual business attire – a simple skirt and blouse, with her hair up in a messy bun, but looking at her like this Elsa was lost in how beautiful she was. She could be a princess from a fairytale or a model in a magazine.

"Whoops!" Anna stumbled suddenly, teetering on her heels. Her hands slipped from Elsa's. Elsa grabbed for her without thinking. Her arms caught Anna's waist, and she pulled her close to her so that her arms were wrapped tightly around her, holding her upright.

They were so close together, and touching. It just kept on happening, Elsa thought.

Anna giggled. "I'm hopeless, aren't I?" Her arms were resting loosely against Elsa's shoulders. She grinned sheepishly at Elsa.

It was time to panic and run away. Stop touching Anna. That's what she was supposed to do in these situations, wasn't it?

But what if she didn't want to? She gave a small smile. "I really don't believe that you played rugby."

It would be really easy to lean in and kiss Anna. She was inches away, held in her arms.

It was what Elsa wanted to do.

"This is the ballroom in question. Ah, and Ms. Elsa is already here, ya. We can start our meeting right away."

Elsa let go of Anna, jumping back as quickly as she could. Anna took a step back, too. She pushed her hair back behind her ears and quickly went to grab the file from its discarded position on the floor. Elsa stood still. Her heart was beating so fast she thought it might crack her ribs.

_What was I thinking?_

There was no time to figure that out. Oaken had entered the room with Andre and a very serious looking woman, closely followed by a mousey man who was clearly her personal assistant.

"Ms. Arendelle," the woman said curtly, offering a hand. Elsa took it. The woman's hand was clammy and she gave a single, hard, shake before dropping Elsa's hand like a hot coal. "I am Madame Durand from the  _Soci_ _é_ _t_ _è_ _Historique_."

Elsa took a deep breath. Now was the time she had to do this right. She took the folder with the reports and her own notes from Anna.

"I understand that the  _Soci_ _é_ _t_ _è_ _Historique_ has some concerns that I'd like to address," Elsa said, opening the folder in her hands.

"Yes, we do," the woman said. "Are you aware that this is classified as a historical site by the Quebec government?"

"Yes, of course-"

"And that, as such it is protected from defamation and destruction by the Quebec government-"

Elsa was starting to see why Oaken hadn't gotten anywhere with this woman. She crossed her arms. "I am well aware, now if you'll just let me-"

"I'm not going to have some  _anglophone_  come in and destroy pieces of our history-"

"This ballroom was built in the ninteen-seventies," Elsa snapped. Her temper was getting away from her, but she couldn't help it. "Unless there was a great French-Canadian disco that I am not aware of-"

"If I can make a suggestion?" Anna piped up, cutting Elsa off. All of them turned to look at her. She blushed but stood up a little taller. "It is nearly lunch time. I think if we moved our meeting to the dining room, after a short break, we might have better success at coming to an agreement."

Oaken, behind Madam Durand, looked relieved. "André is making an excellent soup, ya? And there is a good view from the dining room."

Madam Durand frowned, looked around at everyone, then nodded. "Good idea." She said. Oaken immediately offered to show her the way.

The moment Durand had her back turned, Anna grabbed Elsa's elbow. "Come over here," she said in a low voice, dragging her off to the side of the room. There were a number of alcoves with padded benches lining the room. She put Elsa in one and sat next to her.

"What are you doing?" Elsa asked in a whisper, glancing at the door. It was swinging shut behind them now.

"You're getting flustered by her," Anna said simply.

"She keeps interrupting me."

"I know. She's a bitch."

Elsa gave a startled laugh.

"Here's what we're going to do – we're going to take a minute – tell me what you want to say to them. Find the words now, instead of when that idiot is talking at you."

Elsa closed her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose. She had a million things she wanted to say to that woman, but none of them seemed to come out right when she was in front of her. She thought for a moment, collecting her thoughts, before she looked back at Anna.

"I would like to say that I appreciate the work that the historical society does. Some of the greatest monuments of our country would not be here today if not for the work that you do. We respect the integrity of this building and are willing to work closely with the historical society to see that it remains the great landmark that it is."

Anna nodded encouragingly. Her eyes were trained closely on Elsa's, listening intently. She took a breath and continued.

"Our plans for renovating the ballroom are in no way intended to destroy any part of this landmark. It is merely a desire to update it to the standard of the day. If you look at the records, the ballroom was renovated in the mid-seventies to reflect the tastes of the day, but our plans are actually attempting to restore some of the feel of the old building. We are planning on working closely with the historical society to ensure that nothing of historical value is destroyed or damaged in the renovation process."

She stopped, blinking. She had just given a speech, she realised, though she hadn't intended to. She just wanted to convey what needed to be said. She looked away from Anna's piercing stare. "I actually wrote all this up in a report," she said to the wall.

Anna's hand covered her own on the bench. "I know you did. I read it. But most people won't believe something until it's said to them."

Elsa grimaced.

"That was perfect, Elsa. Now, when we go back in there, I want you to look at me and say that again – to me. Not to Madame Bitch, okay?" She stood, taking Elsa's hand to help her stand. Elsa looked at her and took a deep breath.

She nodded.

* * *

Madam Durand stood up. Anna was containing her urge to do a happy dance.

Elsa had  _nailed_  it. Anna knew she could. It was just a matter of giving her the tools to do so.

"I feel like we understand each other," Madam Durand said. "It's so nice to see a business owner who takes such matters as these into personal consideration."

Elsa smiled graciously, inclining her head. "I'm glad we came to an agreement. I'll be visiting your office tomorrow to finalize the paperwork."

Oaken smiled broadly. "Very good, ya," he said. "Let me show you out, okay."

They left, leaving Elsa and Anna at the table. Elsa turned to Anna. Elsa's face was practically glowing with success, completely happy.

"Thank you," she said, her voice throbbing with heartfelt thanks.

Anna grinned. Elsa looked so pleased – it was like she had just finished a game of Call of Duty, and completely beaten her enemies.

That gave Anna an idea.

"God save our gracious queen," she sang playfully. "Long live our noble queen..."

"Don't you dare!" Elsa said.

"Send her victorious, happy and glorious."

"We're in public, stop it!" A couple people were staring at them. The dining room was still reasonably full from lunch time. Anna giggled "Long to reign over us..." she couldn't finish the song. Elsa was making a face like an angry kitten and Anna started laughing too hard to keep singing.

"You are impossible," Elsa muttered. Anna could see her fighting a smile.

Anna pushed herself back from the table and grabbed one of Elsa's hands, pulling her to her feet.

"Come, Ice Queen, we're going out to celebrate your noble victory!"

"It was just a meeting."

"Get your coat! We're going to the city!"

* * *

'Go to the City' translated to 'go to a club'. Elsa didn't know how to protest. She had been to a club – once – in university. It had been during one of her attempts to socialize like a normal person. It hadn't worked. The floor had been sticky, the music too loud, and the place too crowded.

This place was similar. But it did have one upside to it.

"Look – look at that guy? Did you see him? Oh my god, I can't believe someone would wear that!"

Drunk Anna. It was like regular Anna, only more so. She was hanging off Elsa's arm as they sat at a table off the dance floor. She was giggling at everything.

This came with its own downside, however. She'd already had three drinks, and she was trying to get Elsa to join her.

"I can't Anna, who's going to drive us back to the resort?"

Anna pouted. "But it'd be fun!" she said, putting her head on Elsa's shoulder. Elsa could feel her breath on her shoulder.

"You have the fun for both of us. I'll make sure we get home okay."

Bigger pout. Elsa shook her head, smiling down at her. She was resisting the urge to stroke her face, or smooth away that pout with her own lips.

She was glad that Anna wasn't sober enough to ask why they couldn't take a taxi. Elsa could afford even that long ride back to the resort, but she wasn't going to suggest it.

There was no way she was going to get drunk around Anna. She could barely trust herself around Anna sober. Elsa would end up trying to kiss her. Or cry on her. Or both.

It just wasn't going to happen.

"Are you going to dance with me?" Anna asked. Elsa froze.

 _Bad idea_ , her brain thought. It had been close enough in the ballroom. She didn't want to think what would happen in a crowded club where couples were hanging off of each other already. "Ummm... I don't think... I mean, I don't really-"

Anna giggled again. She tapped Elsa's nose playfully. "You're really cute when you're flustered, you know that?"

She slid off her chair. "I'm going to get another drink. Are you sure you don't want anything?"

Elsa shook her head. Anna gave a playful wave before tottering off toward the bar.

Elsa hooked her legs around the chair and leaned forward to take a sip of her cola. She rested her head in her palm, surveying the dancing mass of people. Everyone was grinding, jumping up and down to music that was so loud you could only hear the  _thump thump thump_ of the bass. One couple was standing off to the side of the dance floor, slow dancing like the world around them didn't exist. How did people do that? Just shut the world out and be together like that.

It was reminding her, disturbingly, of that afternoon in the ballroom.

 _This is not going well_ , she thought for what felt like the millionth time that day. Everything Anna did seemed to drive her insane and she couldn't do a thing about it.

She continued to people-watch, her thoughts mired in uncomfortable longings. After a minute, she noticed Anna. She was standing there, drink in her hand, talking to a tall, dark-haired man.

Elsa couldn't hear them, but she could see Anna's face. She kept glancing away from him.

 _It looks like she's looking for an escape route_. Elsa sat up a little straighter.

The guy put an arm on Anna's shoulder, leaning in close.

Elsa felt her stomach twist.  _Of course guys are hitting on her_ , she said to herself _, who wouldn't want to._

But Anna had taken a step away from him. She was trapped by a group of people behind her, heading as a mass toward the bar.

Elsa didn't even realise she'd made the decision to get to her feet and walk toward them. All she knew was that Anna was not happy with his attention, and she wanted to do something about that.

"I'm with someone else," Elsa heard Anna say as she drew closer. She pushed the guys arm off her shoulder. Her nose was wrinkled with distaste.

"It is only a dance. Come," he said in a thick French accent. He grabbed for her hand. Anna's eyes narrowed.

"Go away," she said. She took a step to the side. He blocked her.

"Hey!" Elsa said. She shoved him out of the way and put herself between Anna and him. " _Tu ne l'intéresses pas. Dégage_ "

The man looked surprised for a moment before his eyes narrowed. He smirked.

" _C'est ta blonde_?" he said, leering at them. Elsa coloured, but she wasn't going to back down.

" _Oui_.  _C'est_ _ma blonde. Ca te pose un probl_ _è_ _me_ _?"_

He looked at her face and took a slight step back. Shrugging he said, " _Peu importe, la goine,_ " before walking off.

" _Va te faire foutre, connard!_ " Elsa shouted at him. She glared at him until he disappeared into the mass of people. Her pulse was racing and she felt angry enough to chase after him and punch him in the face. ' _La gouine_ '! He'd actually called her a dyke. And harassing Anna... what kind of jerk would look at Anna and think it was okay to mess with her?

"Why did you call me blond? I'm a redhead." Elsa looked down at Anna. Her forehead was wrinkled in laboured thought. Her face was flushed from too much alcohol. Elsa was suddenly very glad she couldn't understand French. Not only had she told that asshole that Anna was her girlfriend, she had also just been exceptionally crude.

"It's an expression," she said. She took Anna's hand and dragged her toward the exit. "Come on. Let's go."

* * *

The week flew by. Anna couldn't believe how much fun she was having. Elsa was slowly giving her more smiles and more jokes, being more relaxed. There were a couple more meetings, both with the historical society and the planners for the renovations. Elsa rocked them. An agreement was reached by Wednesday that all parties are happy with, leaving plenty of time for Elsa to ski. Anna loved watching her.

"Why am I up here?" Anna asked. It was Thursday. Elsa had talked her into strapping two pieces of wood to her feet with the intention of artfully falling down the hill on them. She was currently staring at the people sliding down below them as they went up the ski-lift. She was starting to panic.

"You asked," Elsa pointed out.

"I didn't think you'd say yes!"

"We're doing the easiest run. Just go slowly and you'll be fine."

This was a change of position, Anna thought. She was supposed to be the calm and collected one who was comforting Elsa. Not the other way around. Elsa was leaning back in the chair, completely at ease a zillion feet off the ground and grinning at Anna's discomfort.

Anna couldn't decide if it was super hot, or super annoying.

"Get ready to get off," Elsa warned her. They were reaching the top of the hill. As they came upon the raised platform, Elsa pushed up the safety bar. Anna tensed. She pushed herself loose and her skis hit the ground at slightly the wrong angle.

Elsa caught her, laughing as she kept Anna from tripping over her own skis.

"This is going to be so embarrassing," Anna said, dryly. "Let me take a picture for the memories."

She reached into her pants pocket. She hadn't taken nearly enough pictures of the week. She'd been to busy having fun, she guessed.

"Shit, where's my phone," she said when her hand met an empty pocket.

"Uh..." Elsa said. She was pointing. Anna followed her finger to the seat they had just vacated. A shiny blue iPhone was slowly descending down the hill.

"Crap!" she said, turning herself around. She imagined what would happen when it got to the bottom of the hill, and someone got on that chair. She'd just finished the last level of Angry Birds, too. "Maybe I can race it to the bottom," she said.

On her first run on a slope in over a decade? She looked at the hill and took an automatic step back.

She tripped again, Elsa catching her. "I think I'd better," Elsa said, smirking as she righted Anna again. "Don't fall over while I'm gone."

She turned herself to the steep, straight hill that ran parallel to the ski slope and pushed off with her poles. Anna watched her tuck herself down low and fly down the hill. Her braid whipped out behind her with the force of the wind.

"Wow," Anna breathed. She'd never seen someone look so at home, anywhere. When Elsa was nothing more than a pinprick to Anna's eyes, she slowly pushed herself back from the slope, going to rest by the line of trees to wait for Elsa to come back up.

Elsa appeared ten minutes later, cresting the top of the hill on the ski-lift with a triumphant smile and Anna's cellphone clutched in her hand. She dismounted gracefully and slid over to Anna.

She held out the phone.

Anna squealed and threw her arms around Elsa's neck. "Thank you, thank you!" she cried.

She kissed her cheek enthusiastically.

She saw Elsa's cheeks turn red and let go hurriedly.

_Damn it. Stupid Anna._

"Ah... thanks," she said, looking at the ground.

"You're welcome," Elsa said. Anna glanced at her, then burst into laughter.

"What?" Elsa asked, her eyes narrowing in suspicion.

Anna covered her mouth, trying to hide her grin. One Elsa's cheek was a pink stain from Anna's lipstick. When she'd gotten control of herself she lowered her hand.

"Nothing," she said, still fighting her grin. She pushed herself in the direction of the beginners hill. "Come on. Let's get off this infernal mountain."

"What's so funny," Elsa called after her.

"Nothing."

When they trouped back into the lodge (Anna had only fallen twice on her way down the hill), Oaken caught sight of Elsa and his face split into a huge smile. "Should I get a bottle of wine to celebrate?"

"What are you talking about?" Elsa asked. Then she caught sight of her face in one of the many mirrors that decorated the entrance hall. "Anna!"

Anna was already running up to the elevator, laughing like a loon.

Anna was under the bed, trying to retrieve her shoes when her phone buzzed. She bonked her head on the frame trying to get out quickly.

"Ouch," she said as she grabbed for her phone. She rubbed the sore spot as she read the text message.

_Hey beautiful. Hope you didn't forget me. ;) Wanna go see a movie tonight?_

Her stomach clenched uncomfortably when she looked at it.

 _Sure_. She texted back. Why was she feeling anxious? It was Hans. She should be excited to see Hans. She hadn't seen him in a week, after all.

Maybe it was because she hadn't really thought of him in that time. She'd been too busy thinking about... other things.

"How did your sock get in the medicine cabinet?" Elsa's voice called out, distracting her from the text.

"What?" she asked, putting her phone down on the bedside table. Elsa was in the powder room. She could hear the drawers opening and closing as she went through the place methodically, getting everything packed.

"A sock," Elsa repeated. "In the medicine cabinet."

"Why do you think it's mine?" Anna asked, teasing.

Elsa poked her head out of the door to the powder room. "This," she said, waving the sock. "Is not my sock."

It had flamingos on it.

"Fair point."

Elsa threw the sock at her, hitting her in the face.

"Stop dawdling. We need to be at the airport in two hours."

Anna listened to Elsa muttering to herself for a few minutes. This was an Elsa she could get used to. The  _real_ Elsa.

And, Anna couldn't help thinking it, it was  _her_  Elsa. The Elsa that only she ever got to see.

She realised she was smiling like a dork, shook her head clear, and went to go find the missing match to her flamingo sock.

"Ugh, wake me when we get there," Elsa said, slumping into her seat after the in flight movie was announced.  _Revenge of the Sith_.

"It's not that bad of a movie," Anna said. She only vaguely remembered watching it when it came out in theatres.

Elsa's only response was to close her eyes.

Anna pulled out her phone and started to play Temple Run.

After fifteen minutes, she was surprised when Elsa's head slumped onto her shoulder. She was actually asleep. Anna smiled and gently pushed Elsa's bangs away from her face. She didn't move.

She was so perfect.

Anna's stomach clenched again. And she realised.

It didn't matter that Hans was funny, and romantic and hansom and pretty much perfect in every way for her. It didn't matter that she had no idea if Elsa felt the same way or even if they were a good match for each other. Anna was completely and utterly smitten with her. She was looking forward to getting back to work on Monday, just so she could spend more time with Elsa. More excited about work than she was about her evening with Hans.

Elsa sighed in her sleep and her head drooped a little bit more, resting on Anna's breast now rather than her shoulder.

_I need to break up with Hans._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *giggles like a mad woman* It begins. I can't wait to see your reactions to this. I am such a sadist. :D
> 
> Thank you to Lamachine14, tri-chan, danseurofelsa, and Eiwilia who all offered their French advice for this chapter. Your all perf. Though I have come to the conclusion that every French person speaks a different language that only vaguely resembles that of the next French person, just so you know. ;P
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> Capt. Elfy


	12. Chapter 12

"I'm really, really sorry about it."

"Elsa, stop apologizing. You fell asleep."

"But it was inappropriate. I shouldn't have done it."

"It's not inappropriate. If I was bothered, I would have woken you."

They rounded the corner on the hallway, leading to arrivals. "Besides you're cute when-"

Hans. Standing right there, a big goofy grin on his face.

"You came back!" he said, spreading his arms wide. Waiting for Anna to run to him. "Glorious day!"

Anna's stomach twisted unpleasantly. Oh, God, what should she do? He was standing there with that perfect hair and that goofy grin and he had no idea...

"Hi, Hans," she said, focusing on a point just above his shoulder. She couldn't tell him now. Not right in the airport lobby.

For one thing, the people behind them in the narrow hallway were clearing their throats loudly, waiting for Anna and Elsa to move. She took a few steps forward. She could feel Elsa moving behind her.

Hans pulled her into a hug, kissing the top of her head. "Did you have a good trip?" he asked.

Anna saw Elsa stride past them, heading for the doors.

"Yeah," she said. She pulled out of the hug and adjusted her duffle bag strap. "Pretty good. Is the car outside? I think Elsa's ready to go home."

"Of course..." he said. He sounded hurt.

Idiot. Kicking the puppy because you can't control your feeling for your boss, who, by the way, probably isn't even into women.

Anna dealt with the awkwardness of the car ride in the best way she knew how: she babbled, endlessly, about Quebec. She told him all about Oaken and his family, the resort, the city, the ski hills – anything she could think of. Hans laughed at her story of attempted skiing, and was pleased about the success of the meetings, so he must have gotten over Anna's lack of enthusiastic greeting. She wondered if he'd be able to brush off her breaking up with him quite as easily.

Probably not.

After they dropped off Elsa, Anna tried babbling harder but it was inevitable. Hans reached over and stroked her hair the moment Elsa had her back turned.

"So any preference for the movie we see tonight?"

She gulped. "Actually... uh, can we just stay in?"

He gave her a puzzled look.

"I'm a little tired out, and all."

Coward. She huddled in her seat, out of things to say as Hans drove them to her apartment. She walked ahead of him when they got there, putting enough distance between them that he wouldn't notice the anxiety that was written all over her face or try and talk to her. Unfortunately her door decided to stop her. Stupid her, locking it before going on vacation.

"So what's wrong?"

"Wrong?" she repeated. "Nothing wrong... everything's peachy..." She gave a very awkward, very not convincing laugh. The lock clicked as she turned the key and she pushed the door open.

He caught her, pulling her around to face him. He cupped her cheek in his hand, his green eyes boring into her own. "What's wrong, Anna?"

"I..." she looked down, pulling her face away from his hand. She had to do it, now. Before she lost her nerve. "I can't date you anymore, Hans."

She kept her eyes trained on her shoes. They were getting dirty from all the spring-time slush.

"... what did I do?" Hans asked after a long silence. Her head snapped up. His face was a mask of disbelief and hurt.

 _Oh god_.

"It's not you at all! It's me, completely me. You are a really great guy, and you're super handsome and funny and perfect for me in every way it's just..."

_Wow, when I say it like that, I'm a complete idiot._

"This is really hard, because I don't really know how to explain it but you don't deserve this, really, because I went away on this big week long trip and I didn't miss you at all – I mean – that sounds mean. But it's sort of true. Even though you are perfect and funny and handsome and I said that already, but it's true, really and you are going to find the perfect person for you one day-"

He held up a hand, stopping her. "It's okay, Anna." he said. His voice was soft, composed. He gave a rueful smile. "Did you fall for a dashing French man?"

"No..." she said, truthfully. "But... there is... someone."

He nodded, and she returned to staring at her shoes. She was out of clichéd break up-lines that fit the situation. All she could do now was wait for him to say something.

"Can we still be friends?"

She was not expecting that. She looked up. His eyes were full of hope. "I really like spending time with you – really. I think we'd make great friends."

"Oh." He hand went to her mouth. She felt close to tears. She really was breaking up with the perfect man. "I'd like that," she said.

His face split into a grin of complete and utter delight. "Then, as your friend, do you want to order Chinese and watch a bad movie?"

"Absolutely."

* * *

"So are you going to tell me who the someone is?" he asked, nudging her out of the way as he grabbed two fortune cookies. He passed her one.

"I don't know if I should," she said, honestly. He was still an exec at the company after all, and though she wanted to trust him she didn't want any unwanted rumours going around the office. At least none that would reach Elsa's ears.

She cracked open the cookie and pulled at the strip of paper inside.

_Soon life will become more interesting._

Well, that was either encouraging or incredibly ominous.

"You are admired for your adventurous ways... in bed!"

"What?" Anna yelped. Hans was laughing like a loon.

"Haven't you ever done that? Read your cookie, and add 'in bed' after it."

She looked at her little slip of paper and blushed.  _Your life will be come more interesting... in bed!_

"No thanks," she said.

"Let me read it!"

She scrunched the little slip of paper up and shoved it into her pocket. "Nope!"

When the movie was over and Anna was yawning – she had started the day in another province after all – Hans helped her clean up and pulled on his coat. If anything, Hans made a better friend than a date. He was decidedly not awkward about everything, and made her laugh more than ever. She didn't have to feel guilty when her mind wandered to Elsa and the times that they shared in Quebec.

And he was just a perfect gentleman.

"I'm glad we can still be friends, Anna," he said as they stood in the doorway.

"Me too."

He turned to go, and she watched him walk toward the elevator. Friends.

Friends told each other things – didn't they?

"Hans-"

He turned back to look at her.

"It's Elsa."

His brow furrowed in confusion. She took a deep breath.

"I have a big gay crush on Elsa!"

* * *

She told him everything. Every little moment about the trip and all her feeling for Elsa. He listened closely to everything, being the perfect friend.

"And the crazy part is – I don't even know if she likes women!" she finished, flopping back into the couch. It was pushing midnight now. Good thing tomorrow was a Saturday.

"We could hire a private investigator," He suggested. She glanced at him. He was smirking. She punched his arm lightly.

"I can't afford a private investigator."

"I can." She rolled her eyes at him.

"That doesn't solve the problem. I'm not going to pry into her private life," she said firmly. He considered this for a moment.

"How about asking people who know her? Who are her friends?" he asked.

"I guess I could ask Olaf..." she mused. "He knows her best, I think."

"See, it's not that difficult."

She smiled at him. "What if she doesn't like women? Or like me back, for that matter?"

"No one could not like you, Anna. You're perfect." He gave her a winning grin, and she again wondered why life had thought it fair to throw two amazing people with perfect hair at her at the same time. It really wasn't fair.

* * *

Anna practically skipped to work on Monday, excited to see Elsa again. She was so excited to see Elsa that she nearly didn't see her, walking into her at the elevator.

"Ack!"

Elsa turned quickly, catching the tray with the cafe mochas before they fell off the box of doughnuts Anna was balancing.

"Good morning," Elsa said, smiling. "Getting your quota for dropping things filled early today?"

"Oh, you know me. Real go-getter and everything."

The shared a smile for a while before the elevator dinged and the doors swooshed open. Anna was once again struck by how beautiful Elsa was. Anna's heart began to pound in her chest just from being near her.

"Going up?" Elsa asked.

"Actually, can you take these up?" she passed Elsa the box of doughnuts. "I need to go ask Olaf something."

"Who's the P.A. here?" Elsa asked with a laugh as Anna ran off.

* * *

The tech department was in the basement of the building, accessible only by a separate service elevator. Stepping out of the elevator was like stepping into another world.

It was a small room with two cubicles and a crowded common space. Computers, from old boxy ones to new shiny laptops and franken-computers with see-through casing were all over the place. Wires ran from everywhere to anywhere.

"Hello?" she called, stepping over a box filled with old discarded keyboards.

There was the screech of an old rolly chair and a round, black-haired head poked out of the nearest cubicle.

"Can I help you?" he said in a deep gruff voice.

"Marshmallow? It's Anna. Is Olaf here?"

"Marshall," he corrected.

"Anna!"

She would not have expected anyone to be able to move that fast with all the wires, but Olaf tore out of his cubical and was tackling her in a hug before she had registered he was there.

"What brings you to my secret lair?" he asked with a giggle. He moved back toward his cubical, gesturing for her to follow. She followed, watching her feet. Marshmallow had disappeared back into his cubical.

"Olaf, you're Elsa's best friend, right?" she asked.

"Yup." He picked up a large stack of CDs and a dusty collection of floppy discs from a chair, dropping them in the corner. "Take a seat."

She sat, smoothing out her skirt nervously. "So..." she began, "this might seem like a strange question but... do you know what kind of person she likes?"

He gave her a confused look. She fiddled with her bangs.

"I'm just wondering if she's into girls at all," she said.

He nodded, grinning. "Of course. She likes you very much. You are her friend and you are a girl."

She suppressed a sigh. She should have known that it wouldn't be that simple. "No, I mean... romantically."

"Oh, a lesbian?" It was surprising that he actually knew that word.

"Or bi or pan or whatever," she elaborated. "Anything that includes me is good."

 _Oops_. She hadn't meant to add that last bit. Too late now.

Olaf considered this for a minute. "No, I don't know. I could ask her."

"No, no, no," she said quickly. She stood up, waving her hands emphatically. A box of old cellphones from the nineties toppled to the floor beside her. "That's okay. You don't have to do that."

"It'd be really easy. I could call her right now!" he reached for his phone.

"Not right now!" She grabbed the phone off the desk, hiding it behind her back. "Just forget it, okay. Can you forget it?"

He frowned slightly. "I can try."

"Good. Good. I better get back to work."

* * *

Anna was acting weird, there were no two ways about it. Oh, she still talked to Elsa. God, did she talk. But it seemed more like nervous chatter than anything. And she seemed to be getting clumsier as the day went by. Every time Elsa talked to her she either tripped or walked into something. It was like her mind was on another planet.

"Elsa?"

Elsa smiled as Anna entered her office. She was wearing a dress today with a flared skirt. It was quite pretty, while being professional. Elsa couldn't help admiring how beautiful she was, despite her efforts to only view her as a friend.

"What's up?" she asked.

"I just got a call from the head of the board of directors. He requested I schedule a meeting for Friday for you with the board."

Elsa's smile disintegrated. The board of directors? "Why do they want to meet with me?" she asked.

Anna shrugged. "I dunno. Something to do with the merger, maybe?"

"Maybe," Elsa said, though she doubted it.

The board was large and made up of their largest shareholders and investors. They didn't all come together very often, and when they did it was either for the annual meeting or something very important. The last time they had met with Elsa, it was to instate her as head of the company two months after her father's death. The very thought of talking to the people who were, essentially, her employers filled her with cold dread.

"You'll help me through it, right?" she asked, only half joking. Anna smiled.

"Of course."

* * *

Wednesday night. Elsa snuggled into the couch, pulling on her headphones as she finished logging in with a relieved smile.

"Hi Elsa!" Olaf said as soon as the channel was open. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure," she said, not really listening as she set up the game, sending off invites to Olaf and Marshmallow.

"Anna was wondering something the other day. She told me I could forget it, but I didn't, so I might as well ask you."

"Hmmm?" she said. She stopped what she was doing for a minute. Was this what Anna had gone to talk to Olaf about so suddenly Monday morning? "What did she want to know?"

"Do you like women?"

If Elsa had been drinking something at that moment, she would have spat it out. "Excuse me?"

Olaf didn't notice that her voice was several octaves higher than normal. "Well, she was asking because I'm your best friend and she thought I might know if you are into women."

"Why..." Her heart was going a mile a minute all of a sudden. Anna... how? What? "Why did she want to know?" she choked out.

"Well, she didn't say," Olaf said thoughtfully, "But she did say that she didn't care if you were lesbian, or bi or pan or any of that as long as it included her."

She dropped her controller.

_What?_

"Anyway, I think she might like you and that's why-"

She ripped off her headphones.

She unplugged the Xbox.

She picked up her cellphone and stared at it for a moment.

_Anna... what?_

She put the cellphone down.

No. She'd misheard.

But she hadn't.

She picked up the cellphone again and dialled Anna's number.

Half a second later she hung up.

_No, no, no._

_But..._

She dialled the number again. One ring. Two rings.

"Hi Elsa!" Bright, cheerful, happy Anna voice filled her ears.

She hung up.

* * *

"Hi Elsa, did you call me last night?" Anna asked, looking up from her computer. Elsa was late, which was unusual. She had started coming early. Anna had been enjoying their talks over breakfast. Elsa turned red and was looking at anywhere but her.

"Oh... uh... yeah," she said. She was practically running toward her office. "I had phone troubles. Sorry."

"Alright. I wanted to..." Elsa's door slammed shut behind her.

_What._

Anna stared at the closed door for a while in complete disbelief. What had just happened? Had she gone back in time to a month ago?

She looked at her computer. Nope, it said it was today.

Well, maybe she just had a really important phone call to make.

 _That I don't know about?_  No, that wasn't it. Anna would know if she had an important phone call to make. She knew everything about Elsa's schedule. She stared around the room as if it would give her some clue into the meaning of her boss's strange behaviour.

_She didn't take her Cafe Mocha._

Something was wrong. Very wrong.

But what could have happened? She was at work until six last night, going over a presentation she needed to make with Anna. Then she had raced home... to Call of Duty night.

No.

He wouldn't have.

But... she picked up her phone and punched the button for IT.

"Did you try turning it on?" Olaf said into the phone, not even waiting for her to say hi.

"Olaf, did you talk to Elsa last night," she said sharply.

"Of course. We talk every Wednesday."

She didn't have the patience to deal with this right now. "No, I mean did you talk to her about what I mentioned to you."

"Oh yeah!"

 _Fuckernuts_.

"That thing I told you to forget?" Maybe he didn't. Maybe this was just a bad dream.

"Oh, I remembered it despite trying," he said calmly, "so I decided to ask. She didn't really give me an answer though. I think she was having internet troubles or something because she wasn't online. She wouldn't answer her cell phone either."

_Omigodomigodomigod..._

"I could try asking her again."

"No! No, you will not ask her about that again!" she said forcefully. "You will not mention it under any circumstances."

There was a slight pause on the other end. "Okay."

She hung the phone up and rushed to Elsa's door.

* * *

Elsa was considering hiding under her desk. It was a strange urge, but there it was. Everything about the day was too overwhelming. She needed to prepare for meetings. She needed to review reports. She needed to make phone calls. She needed to discuss things with Anna.

She couldn't talk to Anna.

Anna knew. Somehow. And liked her back?

No. That couldn't be right.

Elsa wasn't ready. She'd never be ready. She shouldn't be like this.

Things were perfect with Anna. Had been perfect. They were friends and Elsa had been comfortable around her and Anna somehow made her  _better_.

She wanted to push these feeling away and be a normal person.

But what was normal?

Wasn't Anna normal? Oaken and Andre?

She couldn't do it. Anna could. And Oaken. And other people. But she couldn't go out there and tell Anna "I love you" because she was broken. Would always be broken.

She jumped when a knock came on her door. She cringed away from it.

 _Nonono, not ready. I can't_.

"Elsa..." Anna's voice was soft, worried. "I know Olaf talked to you."

"I... I'm busy right now!" she called back. Her voice was trembling.

"Can we just talk about this?" Anna was pleading.

"No, no, I'm fine." Elsa said. She clutched at her stomach. Her gut was churning with anxiety. She couldn't do this. She couldn't.

The door handle jiggled, but nothing happened. It was locked.

"Please, Elsa." Anna's voice was desperate, distraught. But Elsa couldn't let her in. If she did, everything would be undone. She wouldn't be able to hide, and the last bit of normalcy in her life would be lost. The door handle jiggled again. "Elsa..."

"Go away, Anna!" She shouted, her voice breaking. The door handle stopped. Silence fell, except for the ticking of a clock.

"Okay," Anna said, her voice nothing more than a whisper through the door.


	13. Chapter 13

Anna was running late, and Elsa wasn't there when she reached their office the next morning. Her room was dark and empty. Anna even used her key to open Elsa's office, but she wasn't anywhere to be found. She pulled off her coat and stared around, completely lost.

 _Okay, no need to panic_.  _There's five more minutes. She knows about the meeting. She'll be here._

She grabbed her laptop and raced to the board room, an ominous feeling growing in the pit of her stomach.

"Ms. Summers!" Mr. Weselton stood, spreading his arms. He took in her dishevelled appearance. "I see you got a little... _wrapped up_  in something!" He winked.

"What?" she said, thrown off balance. She adjusted her laptop in her arms and her tablet slipped and fell to the ground. One of Weselton's assistants, behind his back, mimed putting a scarf on.

She looked down. "Oh!" she said, dumping the electronics on the table. She pulled her scarf off, blushing. She just had to wear the one with little ducks printed on it today, didn't she?

"Ah, I  _quack_  myself up!" Weselton said. She gave a weak smile in return.

There was hearty laughter from the door way. She turned.

"Hans! What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I'm on the board," he said with a grin. "Representative for the Sorlig family interests. So how did it go?" he asked with a meaningful eyebrow raise.

She flushed. "Oh... ummm... great. Would you like some coffee Mr. Weselton? What are you doing here, anyway? I – oh I didn't mean that to be rude or anything, but you're not on the board, are you?"

She was babbling yet again, completely off on the wrong foot. Not that she had a right foot, not without Elsa. Elsa wasn't here yet. Why wasn't she here yet?

"With the merger pretty much a done deal, they figured I should be in on whatever important business they're doing today. Where's Ms. Arendelle? I wanted to talk to her about some things while I was here..."

"Oh, she'll be along any minute, I'm sure," Anna said in a high-pitched voice. Her hands were shaking as she tried pouring the coffee, leaving droplets all over the table.

"Here," Hans said softly, taking the pot from her. "Tell me about it later?"

She nodded and went to sit down, pulling out her cell phone. It was 8:59. She could hear more board members out in the lobby, probably all of them, chatting. And Elsa wasn't here.

She punched in Elsa's number and tried to keep a calm face as the phone rang. Once. Twice. Then cut out. It didn't even go to voice mail.

"Is everyone here?"

Anna dropped her phone. It was her old boss, Mr. Hargreaves, followed by twenty people. He was as ugly and gross as ever and he spared a brief moment for a sneer in her general direction.

 _This is a nightmare_ , she thought.  _This has to be a nightmare._  She quickly looked down to make sure she was still dressed and that her tablet had not turned into a history exam.

"Ms. Arendelle hasn't arrive yet," Hans said, calmly. The board muttered.

"She'll be here!" Anna said quickly and a little too loudly. Now the entire room was looking at her. She flushed. "She's just running a bit late this morning. Would anyone like coffee or tea?" She leapt to her feet. A few people nodded yes and she hurried off to the counter as they took their seats around the long table.

She just needed to buy Elsa more time. She'd be here. She'd be here. Anna checked her watch quickly as she poured the coffee. 9:03.

Elsa had never, ever been late to a meeting.

"Are you sure you remembered to put it in her schedule?" Mr. Hargreaves muttered as she passed him to hand out the mugs.

She barely resisted the urge to dump coffee on him.

"I don't think we can wait any longer, Director," a woman said once Anna had handed everyone their coffee.

"You're right," Hargreaves grunted before turning to Anna. "You can take notes for Ms. Arendelle," he barked. "You do know how right?"

She glared and pulled out her tablet, sitting down beside Hans.

_Asshole. I knew I should've sent him to Greenland._

Mr. Hargreaves cleared his throat and stood.

"In light of the recent change in the make-up of our shareholders due to the proposed merger with Weselton Inc. a number of our members have expressed concern over the proposed hierarchy of our merged companies."

 _Proposed hierarchy?_ Anna stopped marking the date on her notes to look up at him.

"Ms. Arendelle has been head of Arendelle Corporation for two years, following the passing of the late President Arendelle. It was President Arendelle's wish at that time for Ms. Arendelle to take over in his stead and the board voted to follow his wishes.

"However, in recent months there has been some discussion of whether Ms. Arendelle is of an age where she is capable of managing such a large company. She does not, as yet, have the experience in this industry that might be provided by other parties."

"What?" Anna cried out. She pushed her chair back to stand up, but Hans restrained her. How  _dare_  he sit there and suggest-

"Ms. Summers, at least pretend to have a sense of decorum. If you cannot contain yourself..." Mr. Hargreaves left the threat hanging there, up to her imagination. Hans shook his head and she pulled her chair back in.

_This isn't happening. This is a nightmare. I'm dreaming._

She pinched her arm, hard.  _Ouch_.

Mr. Hargreaves went on with his speech as if there hadn't been an interruption.

"Mr. Weselton has been managing Weselton Inc. for thirty years, growing the company from a small chain to an international standard company. Though it is smaller than Arendelle Corp., many of our shareholders have expressed interest in the possibility of him being named head of the newly merged company.

"This matter would be, of course, carefully considered from all angles and the opinion of all heard before it were to be put to an official vote-"

Anna stopped listening. She pulled out her phone under the table and brought up her text conversation with Elsa.

Her stomach flip-flopped. The last message Elsa had sent her was telling her what kind of pastry she wanted for breakfast three days ago. She rapidly keyed in a text.

_Elsa, why aren't you here? This is a really important meeting._

A woman was talking now, nattering on about decline in public image. She looked around the room. A few people were nodding their heads, agreeing with this outrageous idea. She glanced at Hans. His face was closed and serious as he listened closely. She looked back down at her phone.

_They're talking about voting you out as CEO. Answer me. NOW._

"It had been originally hoped that Ms. Arendelle might have provided a younger, fresher image for the company..." Anna drummed her fingers on her knee, keeping an eye on the clock as the board members droned on and on. 9:30. 9:45. 10:00.

_FUCK ELSA ANSWER ME._

"I, of course, am flattered that the board thinks that I am a good candidate..." Mr. Weselton gave a laugh that echoed in Anna's ears. Anna resisted the urge to throw her phone at him. He continued in a long winded speech about the integrity of the two companies and how, though he was very fond of Ms. Arendelle, would accept the board's decision, whatever it may be.

10:30. 10:45 11:00.

She must have sent out about 30 texts to Elsa by now, keying in her messages harder and harder as time went on. Her notes were a mess, and she had basically had to lock her limbs into place to stop herself from vaulting over the table and tackling Mr. Hargreaves to the ground.

"The board will be reconvening in two weeks' time. I would like to thank you all for a very successful meeting and-"

Anna stood up. Her legs were stiff and sore from holding so much tension for so long. A few people stared but she ignored them, running back to her office to grab her coat and purse.

"Anna?" Hans had followed her. He watched her try and put her coat on inside out for a moment before going to help her. "What's wrong?"

"You know how I told you it went great?"

"Yes," he said, righting her coat and holding her purse for her as she got the arms on.

"I lied. It went awful. I need to go." She looped the duck scarf around her neck. "Right now."

* * *

She jammed at the button on the elevator in the hotel lobby so hard she hurt her hand. It was 11:17 now and she had until the end of her lunch break to... what? How was she going to make this better?

 _Start by getting Elsa to talk to you. Fix the rest later._  She sucked on her fingers, dancing on the spot as the elevator went up all twelve floors to the top.

"Elsa!" she yelled, the moment she got off the elevator. She raced down the hall to Elsa's door and banged on it as hard as she could. "Elsa!"

She froze, waiting to see if she'd get an answer. She could hear noise inside, but nothing that sounded like Elsa coming to open the door. She pressed her ear to it. She almost laughed when she realised what the sound was. Call of Duty. Elsa was alright.

"Elsa, I know you're in there. Please, talk to me."

The sound shut off suddenly. She waited, but she heard nothing else.

"Fine," Anna said. "I'll talk to you."

She sat down in front of the door, facing it. She pulled off her coat. "I don't care if you don't like me, okay? You're a pretty good friend, and I am a grown-up so if that's what's bothering you let's just shove it off the table right now because it shouldn't become an issue. I just asked Olaf in case, because you are fabulous after all, really and it would be impossible for me  _not_  to like you – okay, that's probably not helping so I'm going to shut up about that now – but the point is you weren't even supposed to find out. I told him to forget it, but then it's Olaf so he took me  _really_  literally –"

This wasn't coming out right, at all, she thought. She leaned forward, pressing her face to the door.  _Come on, Anna_.  _Say the right thing, for once_.

"This isn't even the issue any more. The meeting – Elsa, they're talking about voting you out. That's what the meeting was for. I wasn't really listening for most of it, but it's not final yet or anything."

She waited for a moment, seeing if this got any reaction.

"I know you don't think you're the best at your job, but you are good at it Elsa. I know you like your job. Whenever something goes right you get this look on your face... and the detail you put into reading all those stupid reports. You care so much, Elsa, and I know you can do this. But you need to open the door."

Her gut was twisting. Elsa made no sound on the other side of the door. This was awful, terrible. And all Anna's fault. She clutched at her stomach, taking a few deep breaths.

"I can quit. You can have someone else as your PA," she said, her voice choking up. "If it bothers you this much."

A tear traced a line down her cheek. She brushed it away, angrily. "But I won't quit until you talk to me and tell me to my face that's what you want. Until you promise me that it is what you want."

She sat there for a while longer, keeping herself from crying. Her lunch hour was almost over and she still hadn't heard a word from Elsa on the other side of the door. She pushed herself up, taking a few steadying breaths.

"Elsa, I have to go back to work now," she said, pulling her coat back on. She drew herself up, setting her mouth in a stubborn line. "I will be back, and when I am you better be ready to open the damn door. I don't care how you feel about me, but you are not losing your goddamn company because of this."

* * *

Halfway through completely failing to get any work done that afternoon, Anna came up with a plan. She picked up the phone and once again punched the button for IT.

* * *

"Olaf!" Elsa's voice came over the headset the moment Olaf had signed in. She sounded hoarse, like she'd been shouting – or maybe crying – all day. "Help me out here. I've been playing with sick twelve year-olds all day."

"Do it," Anna whispered to Olaf. He was wearing the other head set – the one with the connected microphone. He gave Anna a cheerful thumbs up before accepting the invite to Elsa's game. When they had entered the war zone, she waved at him to begin.

"So, I hear you weren't at work today..." he began in the worst casual voice Anna had ever heard.

"This is going to go great, I can tell," Marshmallow said in a flat voice. He was rummaging through some cupboards in the kitchen and generally being completely unhelpful.

"Not now, Olaf." Elsa's voice was a growl in Anna's ears.

"Is it because Anna wants to date you?" Olaf persisted. Anna smacked a hand to her forehead.  _Goddammit, Olaf_.

Elsa didn't respond to his question.

"Ah, idiots!" she shouted. "Why are you going there?"

"Are you scared of Anna liking you because you don't know how to deal with people and you don't want to hurt her?"

Anna pounded her fist into her forehead. Why had she thought this was in anyway a good idea?  _Hey, Olaf, find out what's wrong with Elsa for me. Try and be subtle about it because you're so good at that._

"This is not how you win the game, people!"

Marshmallow came over, holding two drinks and passing one to Anna. It smelled like alcohol. Strongly. She gave him a curious glance.

"It's the best way to deal with him," he rumbled. Anna decided that perhaps Marshmallow was helpful after all.

She slumped back into the couch and watched Olaf pick off the other players one by one. He was really good, she realised. Better than Elsa. Probably because he hacked his character somehow, she thought, bitterly. Olaf didn't appear to notice Anna's distress at all.

"Anna's really worried about you. She thinks you're mad at her."

"Olaf, stop it," Elsa snapped. Anna jumped at her tone of voice. She was angry, but her voice was quivering. "I just want to play the damn game."

"But are you mad at her? She only asked me whether you like girls because you're such a good person..."

"Olaf..." She was pleading. There was definitely a tremble there.

"I'm sorry if I ruined things between you two," Olaf said. "You were being such good friends. I like how you were friends with her."

There was silence from the headset. Anna was worried that Elsa had turned off her game. She pressed on the earphones covering her ears, trying to hear the slightest little sound.

"I'm not mad at her," Elsa whispered after a minute. Her voice cracked.

"Then why aren't-"

He was cut off by a sob, quickly stifled. The words that came next were nothing more than a whimper. "I can't Olaf. I don't know how and I'm just... just leave me alone."

Elsa was crying.

Ripping off her own headset with one hand, Anna grabbed Olaf's. She jammed it on her head.

"Elsa..."

"Anna?"

"Please, just talk to me-"

The channel went dead.

* * *

Elsa's hands trembled as she poured herself a glass of milk, fighting to keep the tears at bay again.

 _Keep it together, Elsa, come on_.

She had managed to not think the whole day – most of the day. She went through game after game, and even played the story line when no one else was there, just to keep herself from thinking. But she couldn't do that now.

She didn't know what she was doing, or why she was doing it but her instincts were telling her to run. Run away from this... from everything.

Something inside her was broken, irreparable. She couldn't deal with normal people and relationships. She couldn't even handle her company any more.

_You never could, anyway._

"Elsa!"

She jumped dropping the milk pitcher. Anna was back, pounding on the door like it was a personal insult to her.

Which it was.

"Here's how this is going to work," she shouted through the wood. "I borrowed a sleeping bag from Olaf and I am going to stay out her until you come out and talk to me!"

Elsa stood still, milk seeping through her socks, her mind completely shut down.

Anna didn't say anything else. Was she really laying out a sleeping bag out there? What was Elsa going to do? She couldn't talk to her. She'd avoided her too long.

 _Clean up the milk_. It was a concrete task. She could do that. She couldn't mess that up.

She grabbed the hand towels from the rack and threw them down to sop it up and picked up the pitcher and now empty milk-bag.

When everything was wiped down and she had changed her socks, she looked at the door.

Was Ann still out there?

Elsa approached the door, curiosity and anxiety mixing in her gut.

She could open the door. She could say sorry. She could make it better.

 _Nonononono_. She stopped. She couldn't do it.

But was she there? Elsa wanted her to be there, and desperately hoped that she wasn't at the same time. Elsa approached the door slowly and pushed her eye to the peep-hole, but she couldn't see anything but the opposite wall of the hallway. Of course, if she were in a sleeping bag, Anna would be on the floor.

Elsa crouched down on the floor, trying to peer under the door crack.

She couldn't see anything. Either Anna was completely blocking the door or it was too dark out there to see anything because she was trying to look through a door crack like a two year old. She sat up and stared at the door for a long time.

She had to know if Anna was there. It was a need, physical and undeniable, but she couldn't open the door. Because Anna might be there.

 _Maybe if I used the sheets I could make a rope and lower mys_ _elf to the balcony below mine. Then I could go out their door, climb up the staircase, and peek in_...

What was she even thinking? Insane things, that's what.

She looked at her clock. Eleven. It had been an hour since Anna had arrived. There was no way she was still there.

But what if she was? What did that mean?

She wished she could call Olaf. He'd probably be able to patch into the security system to see if Anna was still there...

But there were other people she could ask. People who weren't too oblivious for their own good and likely to ask her uncomfortable questions. She got up and ran to grab her phone, punching the speed dial for the concierge.

"Hello, Mr. Levern?" she said in a low voice, glancing at the door. "Yes, I was wondering if you could check if there's a woman outside my door right now. No, it's not a burglar or anything, I'm just wondering if she's there. Okay, thanks."

She hung up, but continued to fiddle with the phone.

It occurred to her how crazy everything she was doing was. It would be most sensible to open the door, just see if Anna was there for herself and talk to her like a grown-up. Why couldn't she do it? She didn't know. But the thought of facing Anna, of facing herself and her feelings, froze her. It made it impossible to think. Impossible to breathe. She stared at the door again, clutching her phone. Waiting for the moment of truth.

"Hey!" a man's voice said roughly. "You can't sleep there."

There was a pause. She heard a thump.

"I know Elsa! I just really need to talk to her, but she's not answering her door-"

"I think it's best if you just come with me, ma'am-" a woman's voice said gently.

"I'm not a stalker or anything."

"If you don't come with us, we'll have to call the police."

"Hey! Let me go!"

Elsa ran to the door and grabbed the handle. She pulled. The scene that met her eyes made her stop in her tracks. Anna was wrapped up in a red, caterpillar style sleeping bag from head to toe. The security guards had grabbed the bottom and was clearly in the process of dragging Anna away, sleeping bag and all.

"Excuse me," Elsa said. Everyone turned to look at her. Even Anna flopped in her general direction.

"Elsa!" Anna immediately started thrashing around, apparently trying to pry herself loose from the sleeping bag.

"Ma'am, I found her sleeping outside your door-"

Doing her best indignant burrito impression, Anna glared at him. "I told you I know her!"

"Because you're a stalker."

"She's not a stalker," Elsa said quickly. They both looked back at her. "She's my Personal Assistant."

"And she was supposed to be in a sleeping bag in front of your door?"

"Yes."

He was looking at her with a very confused expression. Anna was fighting with the sleeping bag. Oh, god, what had she done? She gripped the door knob tightly. She had to say something.

"I am wealthy, and eccentric," Elsa she said, the first thing that came to her head. "You can go now. We're good."

They looked from Elsa to Anna, then too each other, shrugged and wandered back to the elevator. Elsa was sure she heard the man mutter about not getting paid enough.

Elsa took a step over to Anna who was still fighting with the sleeping bag. She had got one arm loose and was swearing at the zipper. She stopped and glared at Elsa.

"You're impossible," she said.

Elsa considered this for a moment. It was a bit rich, coming from the world's angriest caterpillar who had nearly gotten arrested because she was too stubborn to let Elsa be.

"So are you," she replied. She crouched down beside Anna and took the zipper from her hands, undoing it for her.

She kept her eyes off to the side, not meeting Anna's gaze. Her hands were trembling as she worked the zipper, teasing the caught fabric loose.

"Are you going to invite me in?" Anna asked, her voice cautious.

"Are you even giving me a choice?" Elsa asked softly as the zipper came loose. She dropped it and backed away.

"No," Anna said. She extracted herself from her sleeping bag and stood up. She was wearing sweat-pants and a t-shirt, her hair back in twin plaits. She picked up a knapsack from the floor, slinging it over her shoulder.

She had been expecting to be out there for a long time. Possibly all night. She had been prepared to stay there. The thought brought a lump to Elsa's throat. She cleared it away impatiently.

"Umm... would you like to come in?"

"Of course," Anna said primly. She marched into the apartment, her head held high.

Elsa followed her, taking her time to shut the door carefully. Her feet were getting cold, literally and figuratively. Anna was here. She couldn't run away now.

Anna had deposited herself on the couch, and was sitting there with her arms crossed. Had she finally gotten angry with Elsa? Elsa stood by the door, waiting for Anna to speak.

"Well, this had been the worst rejection ever," Anna said after a while. She was staring at the blank TV as she said it. "I mean, normally people are like, 'no thanks, you're not my type' but wow, Elsa, you really take things to the next level."

Yup, she was angry.

"It wouldn't have been so difficult if you just came out and said it. I'm a big girl, after all. And if you were uncomfortable you could tell me that too. I'd quit. I'll still quit. I'll write up a letter of resignation right now. Because I'm not going to ruin your work for you any more than I already have. You did hear me, didn't you? About the meeting? You need to fight it, Elsa, and I promise I won't get in the way at all..."

Her voice was becoming more and more unsteady as she talked, throbbing with pain and raw emotion.

She wasn't angry. She was hurt. Elsa had hurt Anna.

That was finally enough. Elsa stepped away from the door.

"Anna-" Anna looked up at her, and Elsa caught a glimpse of tears in her eyes before Anna rubbed at her eyes furiously. "I'm sorry. I don't... I don't want you to quit. I don't want you to go anywhere. I just..."

She gulped. Anna blinked a couple times and rubbed her eyes again. They were starting to get red around the edges. Elsa took another step closer, then another, bringing herself to the edge of the couch. "I... I like you, Anna."

 _Great. I sound like a twelve year old_. She looked down at her hands again before continuing. "Since the moment I met you I've had this... attraction to you. And I tried to fight it, but it wouldn't go away. You just kept being amazing, and understanding, and so beautiful..."

She paused. She couldn't believe she was saying this. "I don't deserve someone like you. As a PA, as a friend, or... Anna. You make me a better person. And... I like you."

She had said it, finally. And she couldn't unsay it. All she could do was see if it was enough.

Anna made a tiny noise – a sob and a laugh at the same time. Elsa looked up. Anna had her hands clasped over her mouth, her eyes were shining with tears that she was now letting fall freely.

After a moment, Anna took her hands off her mouth and opened them up wide, inviting Elsa in for a hug. Elsa took the last few steps forward and let Anna pull her in. She sat down beside her on the couch and Anna cried into her shoulder, arms wrapped around Elsa's waist.

"I'm sorry," Elsa whispered into Anna's hair, tears making tracks down her own cheeks. "I'm sorry."

A long time passed before Anna pulled away. Her face was blotchy, red and puffy. Elsa was sure she looked the same, or worse. Anna chuckled wetly at the sight and stroked her thumb over Elsa's cheek, brushing away the tears.

Elsa was unsure about what she was doing, or if she should be doing it. They were so close to each other, everything finally laid bare, and every particle of her being was screaming for her to touch Anna, to trace the line of her lips with her thumb. Run a hand through her hair. Press her cheek to Anna's. She wanted to, so much, but she couldn't move. Still petrified by fear. A fear that this was wrong and that some important part of herself was going to break if she allowed herself to give in to these desires.

But more – she was worried that she was going to mess this up. That she would finally let herself be free, and that it wouldn't work. She'd hurt Anna again, somehow make a mistake that not even she could forgive. One that couldn't be fixed by flowers or an apology or even time.

"Elsa?" Anna was still there, still so close, and her eyes were searching Elsa's own. What was she looking for in them? Could she see how afraid Elsa was?

Elsa looked away. She was trembling. She couldn't do this. It was too much risk.

Soft fingers touched her cheek. Anna gently pushed her face so that she was looking back into those wonderful blue eyes.

"Can... can I kiss you?" There was a slight hitch in Anna's voice, the merest tremble.

She was nervous too.

Anna was afraid. And nothing was perfect. But if Anna was afraid, and could do this, then Elsa could do it to.

"Yes," Elsa said. Her voice was as soft as a breath. Her chest felt tight, like she was going to stop breathing.

When Anna brushed her lips across Elsa's, she did stop breathing. It was soft, timid. Like Anna thought that Elsa was going to break like fragile glass. She leaned forward into Anna, deepening the kiss ever so slightly. Proving that this was what she wanted, to herself and to Anna.

It was Anna who broke away first, pulling back to look at Elsa. Checking to see if she was okay. Elsa drew in a shaky breath. Her entire body was trembling, shivering.

She looked into Anna's eyes, and smiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaaah, I made it! Finally. Did I fix it? Or do you still need a kleenex?
> 
> The editor says: The Great Demon Fluffziel has released you from your suffering. Remember this day servants. Remember my mercy and my benevolence. Remember that I am capable of giving neither. I await your sacrifice and your worship.
> 
> Capt. Elfy


	14. Chapter 14

It was late and neither one of them wanted to say goodbye. Elsa was in a wonderful state of shock. This was really real, and Anna was really there, in her arms, and she didn't even want to run away anymore. Any feeling of guilt or fear she might have had was driven away by the feeling of Anna against her. All she wanted was to have Anna wrap her arms around her and never let go.

And Anna seemed completely ready to oblige. Elsa found herself curled up on the couch with her head on Anna's shoulders and an arm wrapped around her waist. Her face was pressed against Anna's neck. Anna had her face buried in Elsa's hair.

The smell of Anna filled Elsa's nostrils. She smelled so right. A comfortable smell; not perfume, just soap and essential Anna-ness, but it was a sweet enough smell to be bottled as one.

Elsa closed her eyes, pulling her arm tighter about Anna. Anna's hand went to her hair, stroking her braid. Elsa sighed, feeling more relaxed that she could ever remember feeling.

 _This is real_.

Elsa had fallen asleep. Anna smiled and kissed her the top of her head. Trying not to disturb her, she leaned over and grabbed the sleeping bag. She unzipped it as quietly as she could and pulled it over both of them like a blanket. After that long ordeal, she was ready to sleep out the night.

Elsa woke up first, pulled out of sleep by a long habit of waking up early.

Anna has shifted in her sleep. No longer above Elsa, she has curled up below the red sleeping bag. She had her face pressed into Elsa's chest and on leg thrown over Elsa's. Elsa's face grew warm at this realisation. She was caught between Anna and the back of the couch and there was no way she could escape to her bedroom without waking up Anna.

She knew she had made the right decision the night before. But the morning brought out a part of her still felt like she was doing something wrong and was afraid of how far this could actually go. Falling asleep on the couch was pretty innocent, but the feeling brought on by Anna's leg resting on top of her certainly was not.

 _I think Anna would be okay with that thought..._  It occurred to her suddenly and she blushed further.

 _Let's put that thought away for later,_ she told herself.  _Right now we're going to think about kissing, and how that's okay_.  _Just kissing._

Anna sighed in her sleep, her leg moving upward so that it was resting on Elsa's hip.

_Think clean thought. Think clean thoughts. Oh, god, why does this keep happening..._

She couldn't stand it anymore. She shifted so she was propped up on her arm. Anna turned slightly so she her face was out of Elsa's breasts, but she still had her leg draped over Elsa. Elsa poked her gently on the shoulder. Anna gave a little snort.

"Anna," she whispered.

"Hmmmm..."

"Time to wake up."

Anna blinked, groaned and threw a hand over her face.

"Wake up," Elsa said. Anna grimaced.

"Waking up is so overrated," she muttered sleepily. Her hand was still over her eyes. Elsa gently pushed it aside.

Anna blinked again. Her eyes opened a slit and she peered at Elsa. Another blink.

"Good morning," she said shyly. The leg was mercifully withdrawn.

"Good morning," Elsa said.

Anna pushed herself up, scooting backward to put distance between her and Elsa.

And fell off the couch.

"Whoop!" she shrieked. "Ow."

Elsa peered over the side. "Are you okay?" she asked anxiously. Anna looked up at her, her face right below Elsa's, and grinned.

"I am so much better than okay." She reached up a hand to stroked Elsa's braid that had tumbled over the side of the couch. "Hi."

Elsa smiled and reached down to run a finger over Anna's cheek. "Hi."

Her heart was pounding. Gosh, Anna was so beautiful, even with her bed head – or maybe even more so. Anna took hold of Elsa's hand, gently running her fingers across Elsa's palm, making her shiver. Anna was grinning as she sat up. She brought her face close to Elsa's, meeting her eyes before pressing their lips together.

 _This kiss_... The sweetest, loveliest thing that she could imagine.

Elsa hadn't kissed very often. It had been such a long time, she couldn't remember what it had really been like to kiss Sachiko. And any time she had kissed a man since then, failed attempts to make herself be something she wasn't, it had felt wrong and forced... because it had been wrong. So wrong.

But kissing Anna was a million types of right. Elsa felt like every cell in her body was coming more alive within her with every second of contact.

She drew back and Anna followed, getting to her hands and knees on the floor to keep their contact. She shuffled so she was kneeling between Elsa's knees, her arms wrapped around her shoulders, drawing her closer. She felt Anna's lips curve upward in a smile against her own as she tangled her hands in her hair.

Anna moved her lips away from Elsa's, kissing along her cheeks and neck, every tiny peck sending a jolt through her.

_How can she do this to me? Does she even realise what effect she's having..._

This kisses made their way lower, down to her collar bone. Elsa's breath hitched in her throat.

_Oh, god, save me..._

Anna's stomach rumbled loudly. Elsa decided that she would be more careful with what she asked God for as Anna pulled away.

"Ooops," she said, "I think it's breakfast time."

Elsa chuckled, the sound more of a breathy huff as her nerves tingled pleasantly.

 _Well. That was... different_.

She took another breath, pressing a hand to lips that throbbed from an unfamiliar use.

 _A good different_.

"Ummm... do you want... uh... shall we eat?" she stammered.

Anna stared at her for a moment before raising an eyebrow. For some reason, Elsa could feel a blush creeping up her neck. She stood up and wandered into the kitchen for something to do. She knew she didn't have anything for breakfast. Normally she waited until lunch on Saturdays. "It's too early for room service, but..."

She trailed off. She didn't even have milk in her fridge. Anna bounded to her feet and came to look.

"We could go out, maybe..." Elsa suggested, biting her lip in worry. Anna peered over the door, a frown marringher lovely face. She had not been prepared for a guest at all...

"I know! " Anna said so suddenly that Elsa jumped. "Come to my place. I can make us breakfast. Pancakes. Do you want pancakes? You'll like my pancakes. I make really good pancakes."

Anna's face was shining with excitement, like she would like nothing better in the world than to make Elsa pancakes.

"I would love some."

* * *

On the car ride to her place, Anna kept her hand on top of Elsa's on the gear shift, fingers gently brushing the back of her hand. She just wanted to touch Elsa constantly, now that she could. Her skin was so soft. The memory of their kisses was enough to send her heart racing. If her stomach hadn't rumbled there was no telling how far she would have gotten.

 _As far as she'd have let me._ She trailed her fingers up Elsa's wrist, smirking when she felt her shiver under her fingers. She was so sensitive to Anna's touch... the thought delighted Anna.

She only stopped when her phone buzzed. She dug through her backpack and laughed when she saw who it was from.

"Oh dear..." she said, grinning. Elsa glanced over.

"What?" she asked.

"Olaf's sent me about a million texts since yesterday... he wants to know how it went." Anna gave Elsa a sidelong glance. Elsa blushed furiously, her hand tightening on the wheel.

"Hmmmm..." Anna said with a mischievous grin. She tapped on the keyboard of the OlafBerry. "Went fantastic. Winking smiley..." The car jerked suddenly before Elsa straightened it.

"Now... I mean... I don't think..." She was incredibly nervous all of a sudden. Anna reached over and stroked her face gently.

"Okay, it's fine. How about 'Everything's great. Tell you about it later?'"

Elsa, looking straight ahead, nodded. Anna smiled and sent the text. It seemed that Elsa was still unsure of this. Something, probably a big something, was holding her back. But then, she had never explained why she'd run away in the first place. Anna would need to approach the subject carefully, she decided. No need to rush.

She caught Elsa's hand with her own after they parked the car, entwining their fingers as they made their way into the building. She noticed Elsa was blushing again at the contact, looking sidelong at the people they passed to check reactions. Anna gripped her hand more firmly.

"Welcome to my palace!" Anna said, sweeping her arm around in a grand gesture as Elsa stepped inside.

After almost two months, the place was starting to look like home. She'd hung up her pictures – a ton of mother/daughter adventure photo's as well as pictures of Mooki the Newfie dog in every conceivable adorable position. The place was tiny compared to Elsa's - her living room was full with a loveseat, TV and dining set – the kitchen connected directly to the living room by means of a bar-counter and she had no dining room. A single bedroom and tiny bathroom were connected to the main area by a small alcove set with doors. "You can keep your shoes on if you like. I'm going to put real-people clothes on and I'll be right back."

She changed as quickly as possible, braided her hair in pig-tails and brushed her teeth furiously, all too aware that she had been kissing Elsa with awful morning breath. Not that Elsa seemed to have minded very much...

She skipped out to find Elsa seated on the edge of her couch, holding herself primly and slightly uncomfortably as her eyes flitted around the room.

"That's you mom?" she asked, pointing to a picture. It was one taken at the beach, Anna had her arm draped over her mom's shoulder.

"Yup."

"You have her smile," Elsa commented. Anna smiled broadly. She bent down to give Elsa another kiss.

 _Never going to get used to this_ , she thought. "Should I make up bacon to go with the pancakes?" she asked as she straightened.

"What?" Elsa asked, looking slightly dazed. "Oh... yeah... sure."

 _Cute_.

She skipped back to the kitchen and pulled out her box of instant mix. "We're going for really fancy here," she explained, waving the box and eliciting a smile from Elsa. She was so precious that Anna had to run over and kiss her again before returning to the kitchen.

"I've got chocolate chips and bananas and real maple syrup," she said. "I promise they'll be fantastic."

Elsa was watching her as she mixed everything up and put the frying pan on to heat up. She moved from the couch to the table, which was set against the counter, and leaned on one hand. Her eyes were slightly hooded and she had a dreamy expression on her face. Bedroom eyes.

_So fuckably gorgeous._

Anna took the opportunity of the pan heating up to run over to kiss her again, savouring the warmth of Elsa's lips and the softness of her skin and hair against her hands.

She returned to the kitchen, whistling as she poured batter into the pan.

"Not that I'm complaining or anything," Elsa said as Anna sprinkled chocolate chips into the pancakes, "but why do you keep running over just to kiss me?"

Anna flashed a grin over her shoulder. Setting down the spatula, she sauntered over to Elsa, leaned over and kissed her again, quickly. "Because I can."

_Because I can't believe that this is really real._

She caught Elsa's hand and pulled her out of her chair. She tilted her head up to catch Elsa's mouth with her own.  _I'll never get tired of this_...

Anna opened her mouth, running her tongue gently along Elsa's bottom lip. Elsa gasped against her. Anna could taste the sweetness of Elsa's lip gloss and feel her warm breath. A beautiful, wonderful taste that only made her want more.

She pushed Elsa back until they ran out of room. Elsa had her back up against the bar counter and her hands pressed to Anna's back, pulling her in closer. The entire length of their bodies were touching. Legs and abdomens and breasts pressed together and still they weren't close enough for Anna. Never, ever close enough.

She flicked her tongue out again, getting another taste of Elsa's sweet lips.

 _This is heaven_...

Elsa pulled her head away, turning her face to the side. "Pancakes..." she gasped.

"Pancakes?" Who cared about Pancakes? She wasn't hungry for Pancakes. All she wanted was right in front of her, right now. She kissed along Elsa's jawline, nuzzling into the spot just behind her ear. Elsa gasped again. She brought up her hands and pushed Anna back. Anna gave a frustrated groan.

"Burning..." Elsa said, her breathing heavy.

Anna was pulled back into her surroundings suddenly. Smoke was beginning to fill the kitchen. "Oh shit!" she cried, leaping over to the stove. She pulled the frying pan off the heat and switched off the nob. The butter in the pan had turned black and the smell of burning filled her nostrils.

She lifted up one side of a pancake with a spatula. It was charcoal black. The top was still uncooked. Tears welled up in her eyes as she stared at it. Probably from the smoke.

Definitely from the smoke. Not because she was trying to impress Elsa and was completely failing...

"Oh dear," Elsa said, coming up beside her. She had a hand pressed over her mouth, but Anna could see her eyes crinkling.

"I burnt your pancakes," she said with a sniff. Because of the smoke. No other reason. Elsa wrapped her arms around Anna from behind. She kissed her cheek softly.

"You still have more batter. It's fine."

The arms around her were very distracting and comfortable. She leaned back into Elsa's embrace with a sigh. "You're lovely," Anna said, deciding. "I'm going to keep you, okay?"

Elsa squeaked in surprise and Anna gave her a quick kiss on the chin before skipping back to the kitchen.

Somehow she got the pancakes and bacon made without catching her house of fire. Elsa was still quite the distraction. As Elsa finished up the last of her pancakes, cleaning the last bit of syrup from her plate neatly, Anna remembered the sugar shack with a grin.

"What?" Elsa asked, noticing her face.

"You're not going to steal my syrup again?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

Predictably, Elsa blushed and started to stammer something.

"Oh, it's okay, I don't mind," Anna replied. She dragged two fingers through the pool on her plate slowly, keeping her gaze on Elsa. She brought the fingers up, and narrowed her eyes suggestively "You can have a taste if you like."

The red that blossomed on Elsa's cheeks grew until her whole face was as red as a tomato. "I... I..." she stammered. She covered her face with her hands, making a high pitched noise.

 _I think I broke her_... Anna wiped of the syrup and put her hands under the table where they could do no further damage. "Uh... Elsa? Are you okay?" she asked when Elsa didn't uncover her face.

Without removing her hands, Elsa shook her head.

"Sorry."

"It's not your fault," Elsa mumbled to her palms. Anna sighed and stood up.

"Come here, Elsa," she said, offering a hand. Elsa removed one hand from her face to take it. Anna pulled Elsa over the the couch, sitting beside her.

"This is a lot more complicated than you not knowing you liked women, isn't it?" she asked frankly.

Elsa took a deep breath, then lowered her other hand. Slowly, without looking at Anna, she nodded.

"Tell me."

Elsa told her.

Anna knew sometimes parents tried to convince their children they should be straight. She hated it, thought it was fucking stupid, and was eternally grateful that it had never happened to her. Elsa's father though... to keep her from having contact with other people? Just because she might end up with a girl?

She wrapped her arms tightly around Elsa.

"And I want to be with you... completely free. I'm just scared. I'm trying, but I'm scared." Elsa looked up at Anna, as though waiting for Anna to pass her judgement.

"Being scared is normal," she said. "You've never done this before. I promise – I'll let you lead. Whenever you're ready to move forward, I'll be there. I won't push. I might make horrible sexual innuendos, but I'm not going to push for sex just because I'm horny."

Elsa blushed again. "Is that... fair? I mean... shouldn't I take into account what you want."

Anna laughed then raised an eyebrow. "Hon, if we had been going by what I was ready for I would have taken you in a manly fashion the day we met."

Elsa furrowed her brow. "But I was a complete ass the day we met."

"A sexy, sexy ass."

"Anna!" Elsa yelped. Anna grinned and leaned forward to kiss her again. Elsa returned the kiss, so at least she knew she hadn't teased to much.

Anna spent a few minutes kissing Elsa thoroughly, still enjoying the novel taste of her. No, she was in no hurry, not if she got to do this in the meantime. Eventually, Elsa broke away.

"Anna... what am I going to do about the board?"

 _Right_.  _Reality_. Anna sighed.

"They seemed most concerned about the image you were presenting for the company. They wish you were more sociable, and outgoing."

Elsa frowned. Anna cupped her chin in her palm.

"I believe you can do it," she said, earnestly. "I've seen you do it."

"I'm not sure I can," Elsa protested.

"I'll help, just like I said. We'll prove to them that you're the CEO this company needs. Not some old fart like Weaseltown. You."

Elsa gave a half smile, clearly still worried. She was going to be worried about it, though, until she realised that she really was the right person for the job. Anna would prove it to her, with time and patience. In the meantime, they had more important things to do.

She leaned over to kiss her again.

* * *

**Did someone call for some healing fluff? XD**

**I am very sorry for how long this chapter took me. I'm getting into a busy time of year, and don't have as much time to write as I'd like. On that note, I am announcing that I'll only be updating once a week from now on. *cue the weeping hordes* I will update either on Thursday or Friday, Friday being the more likely. I am so sorry, my lovelies.**

**I'm going to try and put together a fluffy fic rec on tumblr to tide you over between updates, so watch for that.**

**Love you all,**

**Capt. Elfy**


	15. Chapter 15

Elsa arrived early for work on Monday. Normally she had to drag herself out the door in the morning – she had spent many mornings dreading the tick of the clock as it brought her closer to the time when she would have to get in her car and go talk to people she didn't like. But today she had been staring at it, waiting for it to  _speed up_  so she could finally go and see Anna again.

She lasted until eight before she grabbed her bag and rushed out the door.

Her heart felt completely full of happiness. It kept leaking out – she was smiling for no particular reason and she felt like she was floating as she speed-walked from her car to the building. The security guard at the desk did a double take as she passed.

"Good morning, Ms. Arendelle," the woman said. Elsa noticed the look of shock on her face.

"Uh... good morning." Elsa smiled at her. She realised that this woman had been saying good morning to her for the past two years. She had, of course, replied in the most basic fashion. Her father had raised her to be polite if nothing else, but she'd never stopped and really noticed her. "How are you?" she asked.

The woman was definitely shocked. Her eyes were wide as she stammered, "G-good, Ms. Arendelle. How are you?"

"I'm good, thank you." Elsa smiled again, and waved before she made her way to the elevator. She could practically feel the shocked stare boring into the back of her head.

Anna wasn't there yet. Of course she wouldn't be. It was only quarter after. Knowing Anna, she probably wasn't even awake yet. The thought made Elsa smile. Anna with her bedhead and sleepy eyes was something she could get used to.

She perched on the edge of Anna's desk, and pulled out her phone. She considered texting her – would that be too much? She didn't want to be clingy. They had spent all of Saturday together after all, cuddling and watching episodes of Firefly (Anna's choice). They had only parted because Anna needed to get some errands done. Sunday had seemed so  _long_.

 _It was only one day_ , she chided herself and put the phone back in her purse. She wasn't a mollusc. She didn't need to be clingy.

Maybe she shouldn't be waiting for Anna on her desk. That was a bit forward. She stood up and fidgeted. She almost made it to her office, but she did want to see Anna right away.

Maybe if she just walked casually around the office, it would look like she had been going somewhere when Anna came up. Heading into her office, or to the bathroom.

She paced a circle around the office, peering out the window as she passed. As if she would see Anna emerging from the subway and walking toward the building. Which she wouldn't. She was on the top floor and even Anna's fiery hair wouldn't stand out.

Gosh, she was going to drive herself insane walking in circles. She twisted her hands and glanced at the wall clock. Twenty after. It felt like Anna was never going to get there.

Just as she though this, she heard the sliding doors of the elevator.

Her heart leapt and her stomach twisted. A sudden rush of panic filled her. She grabbed her suitcase and scurried into her office, pulling the door shut behind her.

 _Why am I hiding?_ She wasn't sure. She listened as the door to the Anna's office opened and closed.

"Elsa?" Anna called. Elsa's heart leapt into her throat.

 _Play it cool_. She pulled open her door, sticking her head out.

Anna was standing by her desk, where she had apparently just dumped the coffee tray, two take-out Timmy's bags, and her laptop pack. She was dressed in a flowery, ruffled blouse and a pencil skirt, her hair tied in its usual messy bun. Her face lit up like the sun at the sight of Elsa.

"Good morning!" she said, reaching out her arms. Elsa walked over, trying hard to not twist her hands together as her stomach danced a jig inside her.

"Good morning," she said shyly, reaching out to meet Anna's embrace. Elsa gave herself a merit point for not running over.

Anna pulled her into a tight hug and kissed her warmly. Elsa could taste the minty-ness of toothpaste on her still, and smell her essential Anna smell.

"I think you frightened Helga," Anna said, when she pulled away from the kiss. She kept her arms wrapped around Elsa's waist.

"Helga?"

"The security guard. She says you actually looked at her this morning, and asked how she was. She was wondering if I drugged you."

Elsa considered getting indignant about this. But Anna's eyes were sparkling with laughter. Elsa squeezed Anna's waist gently. "I think you have," she said, her voice husky, before she kissed Anna again.

Every time they kissed, Elsa felt her pulse begin to race and her body grow pleasantly warm. She loved the feeling of Anna's arms around her, the closeness of her body. With each kiss the guilty feeling inside her lessened. There was no way this was wrong.

Anna's hands were wandering, loosening her embrace to make light trails up Elsa's back. An involuntary shiver went through her. Anna's touch was so light, but it was making Elsa melt with pleasure.

When Elsa felt the brush of Anna's tongue against her lips she gave an involuntary gasp.

 _Oh my god_. It always surprised her when Anna did that, a feeling of a thousand nerve ending lighting up at once at the light brush.

She didn't know how to respond. It was so painfully obvious that she was inexperienced that she wondered why was Anna even interested in her at all.

Anna didn't seem to mind. Her hands were trailing up Elsa's shoulder now. She pulled one hand loose only to move it back to Elsa's neck, tangling her finger in the hair at the base of Elsa's braid. curling into a fist to tug gently as her tongue swiped along Elsa's upper lip. Elsa's knees felt weak and her head light from the new sensations. She hadn't known just kissing Anna could do this to her.

Anna pushed against her, moving her up against the desk. Elsa welcomed the support, leaning against it so she could concentrate fully on Anna.

When Anna's tongue made another exploratory lick at her bottom lip, Elsa responded, opening her mouth to let Anna in. Their tongues touched lightly, tasting each other. Elsa's fingers gripped at Anna's blouse, her mind lost in the pure sensation of everything.

The hand that wasn't currently tangled in Elsa's hair made it's was back to the small of her back, slipping under the jacket to tug gently at the blouse. As their mouths worked, the fabric slid out from the waist of Elsa's pants.

The touch of Anna's hand on her bare skin was enough to make Elsa jump. She pulled back, breath coming ragged.

Anna gave a sheepish smile and pulled back so she was no longer touching Elsa. "Sorry. Got a bit carried away." She didn't look sorry at all.

"Ummmm..." Elsa was bright red in the face, she knew it. She reached behind, trying to tuck her shirt back in. Her hands were shaking "We have... work. And stuff. Meeting."

"Of course." Anna practically bounced around her to get to the forgotten Timmy's bags. How could she be so... not a huge puddle on the floor? Elsa was still using the desk for support. Anna held out a bag and one of the cups.

Elsa took them, trying to get her trembling under control. Anna was watching her closely.

"Did I push too far?" she asked, her smile fading a bit as she reached into her own bag.

Elsa shook her head. "No... I just... ummm... not expecting..."

Anna gave a small chuckle, looking away and biting her lip.

 _I knew she wasn't sorry_.

But then, neither was Elsa, if she thought about it. Just delightfully overwhelmed.

"What's this?" Elsa asked as she opened her bag. Inside wasn't a doughnut or a muffin, but a wrapped breakfast sandwich. She pulled it out and inspected it. Anna has chosen a multi-grain bagel for her.

"Real food," Anna said, waving her own bagel. "We've got a big day ahead. I need to make sure we're properly nourished."

"I don't think they use real egg, you know." She took a bite. Nope, definitely not real egg.

"But it has protein. I want to make sure you're on top form. I've sent out a memo to everyone. They'll be here at eleven o'clock. I was thinking a lunch meeting would be more casual, relaxed."

Elsa nearly choked on a bit of bacon. She coughed, clearing her throat before looking back at Anna in horror. "Everyone? What meeting?"

"I put it in your schedule yesterday," Anna said, matter of fact. "All your top executives – well, all the ones in this building. I couldn't get the satellites here without more notice. I had to do a lot of rearranging as it was, I couldn't imagine booking flights as well. A few of them are going to be using skype, though, so that's something."

Elsa was growing slowly more panicked with each word.

"Why?" was all she could manage to choke out. She was clutching her sandwich too tight. A bit of egg fell onto the floor.

"You need to talk to them," Anna said. She took a huge bite of her bagel and washed it down with her cafe mocha before continuing. "The board wants you to be more sociable, so I thought you should start with the top people. Get reports on the state of things in person, see if there's any concerns that you can help with. Ask them how their children are."

Elsa stared at her sandwich, trying to keep her panic contained. Anna was right, of course, dammit. She did need to start working on that, and she needed to do it as soon as possible. Elsa was even impressed with her initiative, but that didn't change the well of complete fear that was threatening to drown her.

She generally avoided meetings. Most of her business, like reports from the different departments, could be done through email, which was how she liked it. She could take her time to think, and didn't have to worry about being interrupted. If she did have to do a meeting, she liked them to be one on one so if she messed up the damage could be contained.

She had no idea what she would say when all of them were before her. She had things that she did need to discuss, of course, but it wasn't organized and there was no way she was going to remember everything. She'd probably make the whole situation worse, not better.

She was so lost in thought and anxiety that she didn't see Anna get up from the desk and walk over.

"Hey," she said, gently. She took one of Elsa's hands, thumb beginning to trace soothing circled on the back of her palm. "I wrote up notes and questions for you to ask each person, okay? And we've got two hours to go over everything. I know it's sudden, but we have to move quickly on this."

It seemed like Anna had thought of everything. It must have taken her all of Sunday to prepare this for Elsa. It seemed impossible that someone so good, so perfect, had just landed here out of the blue and wanted to help her.

"You did all this for me?" she asked, unable to believe it.

"Of course." Anna kissed Elsa's hand before letting go. "Let's eat those sandwiches. We've got a lot of work ahead."

* * *

Even though she had just drunk her cafe-mocha, Anna poured herself a cup of coffee when she got to the meeting room. She added as much sugar as she could while still having it dissolve. She'd been up far too late the night before, writing up the notes for Elsa. She was running on a mixture of new love and caffeine.

The idea had seized her while she sat in the laundry mat, thinking of Elsa's predicament. She needed to get Elsa out there, talking to people. She hadn't even take the time to discuss the idea with Elsa – it would only have made her anxious for longer anyway.

But it was worth it. Helping Elsa with her job – it was like polishing a precious gem that had been dragged through the mud. Every time she went at it, she found another sparkle, hidden beneath years of thinking she was nothing but a normal rock.

 _Hey, that's a pretty good metaphor for me._  She smiled and set to work, giving every place a mug, laying out a box of sugar cookies she had picked up. She wanted the meeting to be casual. Wanted to show them  _her_  Elsa, not just 'The Ice Queen' of Arendelle Corp. It's why she had chosen a lunch meeting – people couldn't be upset while they were eating. Her only regret was that she hadn't had time to get it catered.

Hans was the first to arrive, followed closely by Kristoff. Kristoff gave a wave before sitting down at the closest chair to the door. He swiped two sugar cookies.

"Hans! You just keep showing up, don't you?" she ribbed gently. She couldn't have been more pleased.

"My boss wasn't able to make it," he said, smoothly pulling out a chair on the opposite side of the table from her. He leaned forward and gave a conspiratorial wink. "Besides," he said softly, "how could I resist seeing my best friend in the world?"

She laughed. His face brightened in response.

"You seem cheerful. How did it go with Elsa?" he asked, his voice still quiet.

She was just about to tell him everything when Elsa entered the board room. She looked around like a lost puppy, unsure of where to go. Anna leapt to her feet. "Really good," she said to Hans before beckoning to Elsa. "You're here, Elsa," she said patting the back of the chair.

Elsa fiddled with her lunch – a bento box of Sushi – rather than eating it as more and more people arrived. Anna nudged her into greeting each one with a smile. And she even managed it. Anna beamed with pride as executive after executive tried to conceal their surprise.

_That's right. She's not an Ice Queen. Just a little nervous._

Everyone settled into their lunches, enjoying the cookies and exchanging banal chatter. She didn't try and make Elsa join in, letting her listen and calm down enough so that she could run the meeting better when the time came. Anna chatted with Hans about his work, avoiding the discussion of how the weekend went while next to Elsa. After a half hour, when people had mostly finished their lunches she turned to Elsa.

"Ready?" she asked, softly enough that no one else would hear. Elsa looked down at her unfinished tray of sushi and nodded. Anna reached out to give Elsa's shoulder a squeeze, wishing she could kiss the deer-in-the-headlights look right off of her face. She had to get the ball rolling. She leaned down to whisper in Elsa's ear.

"Just imagine me naked and follow the notes."

Elsa's neck turned hot under her touch. She looked down at her hands.

_Oops. Probably shouldn't have said that._

"Isn't it supposed to be imagine  _them_  naked," Elsa whispered back after a pause. Her shoulders shook slightly with silent laughter. Anna smirked.

"Now that wouldn't be nearly as much fun, would it?" She drew away to her own seat, letting her hand linger slightly on Elsa's neck before removing it.

Elsa cleared her throat loudly and sat up straighter. "If we could get down to business," she said in a clear voice. "I called you here today as the first of what I hope will become monthly meetings. Though we have previously communicated effectively through email, I feel like greater communication can be achieved in person. It's my hope to hear a report on the state of each section from each of you, to allow you to express any concerns you may have, and to create a greater sense of community within Arendelle Corp."

 _A little formal,_  Anna thought with an approving smile _, but it does the job_. The executives and department heads were giving furtive glances around the room, obviously confused by their CEO's sudden interest in a 'sense of community'. Except for Kai, the head of Human Resources - he was looking at Elsa with an unmistakeable sense of pride - and Hans, who was smiling gently, his hands folded on the table as he listened intently to Elsa's every word.

"I believe Ms. Summers sent everyone an outline of today's agenda?" There was some furious tapping and swiping as everyone called up the file on their tablet. "The first item I'd like to address is a short report from each person on how their department has been faring – current projects, accomplishments, anything you think that I or anyone else in this room would like to know."

Anna leaned back in her chair, taking notes but mostly just relaxing and revelling in how collected Elsa was. She turned her attention from person to person, listening closely to answers and asking the questions that Anna had laid out for her beforehand. She knew she was still nervous – her back was unnaturally straight and her hands were clasped tightly in her lap, but she was doing it. And her employees were responding.

Once everyone had given their report, there was a lull, with more chatter between the execs. Elsa, momentarily out of the spotlight, closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Anna, with a quick glance around, reached over to put a hand on her knee.

Elsa jolted in her chair at the contact. Hans looked up curiously.

"Cramp," Elsa said, blushing. Hans laughed and went back to his conversation.

Elsa gave her a look that clearly said 'Behave'. Gosh, she was sensitive to maybe she actually was taking Anna's advice to picture her naked.

 _Okay, that's a turn on_.

But not what Anna was going for. She withdrew her hand.

"Keep going," she said. "You're doing great."

Elsa took a deep breath. "Moving on to the next item, I'd like to address any concerns or questions that people have about the upcoming merger with Weselton. As you know-"

Anna smiled, and went back to her notes.

* * *

"Want to go hide in your office?" she whispered in Elsa's ear. The meeting was over, and everyone was getting up and stretching, filing out into the hall to get back to their offices. Elsa looked exhausted. She nodded, a grateful smile plain on her face as she looked at Anna.

"I'll clean up, then." She gently brushed a hand against Elsa's back, unable to do more with the other people still gathering their stuff up and talking to each other. "I'm so proud of you."

The look in Elsa's eyes made Anna's breath catch. There was gratitude, and relief, but also a tenderness towards her that made is  _very_  hard not to kiss her right then. She gave a quick smile and turned to the littered coffee cups and sandwich wrappers. Elsa got to her feet and, not quite running, hurried off to her office.

 _Gosh, you'd think top execs wouldn't be like a lunchroom of second graders_ , she thought as she swept up the cookie crumbs.

"I'm impressed," came a drawling voice from the doorway. She turned to see Kristoff loping towards her across the room.

"Impressed with what?"

"The ice queen." He jerked his thumb at the door where Elsa had fled. "She was almost human."

"She is human," she said with an eye-roll. "You just need to take the time to get to know her."

Kristoff shrugged in an easy way and began to tuck in the chairs for her. "If you say so."

"I do."

"Of course, that's not surprising, coming from you. Since you still seem to think Hans is human."

She sighed. "Oh, don't start that again-"

"Not until you listen to me." He came up in front of her, hands on his hips. "I'm still trying to figure out what he's up to, but I bet it's to do with that Ice Queen of yours. Maybe he's trying to get secrets about her from you, in between the kisses..."

She didn't know which part to be more indignant about. She decided to start by setting the record straight. "Is that so? Well, it's a good thing we're not kissing anymore, then."

Kristoff's face lit up. She half expected him to do a happy dance. "Oh, thank god. I was worried you were falling for his act but since you seem to have come to your senses-"

"Actually, Kristoff," she said, cutting him off. "Hans is still a very good friend of mine, I'll have you know." She pushed her bangs out of her eyes and stalked toward the door. "I just happen to have chosen Elsa."

Kristoff froze on the spot. "Elsa?!" he yelped, loud enough to carry.

It was Anna's turn to stop in her tracks.  _Shit_.  _Didn't mean to say that_. She whirled around.

"I said else," she said, trying to sound properly confused and affronted. She looked out the door at the elevator, but none of the execs seem to have noticed his outburst. "Someone else. Not Elsa." She tried to give a nonchalant laugh.

Kristoff crossed his arms over his chest, a smirk playing on his lips. "You said Elsa."

"No, I didn't."

Kristoff raised an eyebrow.

Anna grabbed Kristoff's arm, dragging him down the hallway and into her office. She slammed the door shut behind her. "Okay, yes, it's Elsa," she said in a fierce whisper, "but if you tell a single other living soul, so help me, I will hunt you down and-"

"Hey hey hey. I won't tell a soul," he assured quickly, raising his hands in mock surrender. Then he seemed to think about it for a second. "Except Sven. Can I tell Sven?"

She let out a sigh in a great big gasp of air. She didn't really have a choice. "Fine. He doesn't talk anyway."

Kristoff's eyebrows snapped together in a frown. "Yes he does."

She wasn't going to argue the point. She sat down at her desk and pulled her laptop toward her. She needed to type up and fill out her notes for the meeting as soon as possible.

"You realise this makes your friendship with Hans even more dangerous."

"It's not dangerous."

"Does he know about this – tryst – with your boss?"

She glared at him. "It's not a tryst. And it's none of your business."

"Fine. Don't listen to me," he gave an exaggerated sigh. "I need to go. Hans has been shoving off more of his work on Sven and me than usual. He's in a meeting." He said it very pointedly.

"Everyone is busy with this merger. He's the VP of financing. Mergers involve money."

Kristoff gave another shrug before heading for the door. "If you say so."

She glared at the door until he was gone, then returned to her notes, typing furiously. It was a bit rich, coming from a PA with a PA – which, by the way, was still the silliest thing she had ever heard of.

Her typing slowed. Then again… if she had a PA she would have more time to snuggle with Elsa. She wondered if it would be possible to get a PA to do all her work and change her job description to giving Elsa massages as she worked and telling Elsa how amazing she was.

It was only when Hans' phone went to voicemail that Anna realised that a) Hans was in a meeting and not able to take a request for her new PA, and b) her brain had become addled by Elsa's kisses and getting her own PA was ridiculous.

It would be much better to just add 'staring in to Elsa's eyes' into her current job description.


	16. Chapter 16

Kissing Elsa was becoming... intense. Not in a bad way.  _Never_  in a bad way. But definitely in a way that had slid right past kissing, sauntered its way through making out and was setting a direct course for 'sexy fun times'. Anna was aware, somewhere in the back of her mind, that they were somewhat out of control. Morning hellos were getting longer, and Elsa was getting bolder with each day.

"Anna..." Elsa said. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Anna could hear the phone ringing.

"Mmmm?" She wasn't really listening to Elsa's plea or the phone. She had just discovered how very extra sensitive the place just below Elsa's ear was, giving tiny nips that made Elsa's breath catch and her fingers curl.

"You should... answer the phone..." Elsa's fingers were trailing over Anna's skin, underneath her shirt. Anna really didn't care about the phone at that moment. She had her hands in Elsa's hair, touching its luxury and probably making a huge mess of it. She tried licking Elsa's earlobe. The hand at her ribs twitched involuntarily. The phone gave another ring.

"Don't... make me be the responsible one..." The hands withdrew and Elsa pulled back from Anna's administrations. She pointed a trembling hand at the ringing desk phone.

She pouted at Elsa, but reached for the phone. "Ms. Arendelle's office," she said into the receiver. She followed Elsa with her eyes as she made her way to her office. Elsa had gone with a skirt today, taking advantage of the warm weather to show some leg.

Long, perfect legs.

She shook herself mentally, realising that someone was speaking on the other end of the line.

"Sorry – I didn't quite catch that."

"Mr. Weselton would like to change his meeting today to 10:30 a.m.," the man said on the other end, sounding annoyed. "I tried reaching your office yesterday to confirm this-"

"I apologize," Anna said, cringing. "I must have missed the message."

She hadn't missed it. She'd gone to ask Elsa about it and gotten... distracted. She pulled up the schedule.

"I can fit him in for 11," she said.

"If that's the best you can do."

"Thank you." She hung up and entered it into the schedule.

"Meeting with Weselton is at 11," she shouted so that Elsa could hear her from her office. The door was open still – it had tickled her to no end when Elsa had left it open for the first time earlier that week.

"Ack." She heard Elsa say. "Do I have to be there?"

Anna chuckled. "I think so. Something about you being the CEO."

"Fine, but he better not hit on you again."

Anna went back to her work, a silly grin on her face. They hadn't really explicitly said they were an item, they hadn't talked about updating Facebook or anything, but she was Elsa's and Elsa was hers as surely as the sun rose in the morning. And if the previous week and a half were anything to go by, this relationship was going to stick. Maybe forever.

 _Stop that Anna,_ she chided. Sometimes her head was far too full of fairy tales for her own good. She was thinking about forever already, which was silly. She shook her head an opened up her email.

But, then again, things did seem to be going along at a break-neck pace. A week and a half from trembling kisses to making out in the office was no small leap. She knew Elsa was still a bit hung up on the idea of sex, but at this rate they would be going at it like-

 _No, really, you can stop thinking like that_. She sighed and stared at the list of messages on her screen, putting the mental image of a red-cheeked, half-dressed Elsa leaning against her desk away for another time. Elsa was still shy about the relationship, insisting that it remain private. Anna didn't like it, but she could understand it since many of the people at the company were her father's people. Elsa couldn't know how they would react to her being queer. And Elsa's image, the one they were working so hard to build up, was everything.

But that didn't mean they could be coy about it with each other. Even if Elsa wasn't ready, she didn't want any hasty decisions to be made while they were in the middle of pulling each other's shirts off.

* * *

When Mr. Weselton arrived for the meeting, Elsa was waiting for him. Anna didn't even have to bribe her to come out of her office – she just followed Anna to the room and watched her set up, reviewing her notes. Anna didn't say anything, though. She felt like if she pointed out that Elsa wasn't waiting until the last minute that she would break the spell.

Mr. Weselton, however, gave a double start when he saw Elsa sitting there.

"Good morning, Mr. Weselton," Elsa said with a polite smile. She stood and extended a hand for him to shake. "I'm sorry that we couldn't fit you in earlier."

"Oh – not problem at all," he replied, recovering quickly from his shock. He smiled at Anna.

"A pleasure, as always, Ms. Summers." He sat down across from Elsa, his aids taking up their preferred positions beside him and setting up their laptops. "Are you ladies enjoying the warmer weather?"

"Very much so," Elsa said. She had her hands folded on the table in front of her, but she wasn't twitching.  _So far so good_ , Anna thought.

"I am as well. I was so excited for spring I wet my plants!"

The two assistants face-palmed at the same time. Anna laughed out-loud. Elsa gave an appreciative smile.

Elsa let Mr. Weselton ramble for a while longer – it was some advice Anna had given, and she was glad Elsa was following it. The older man was fond of his stories and his banter, and letting him get it out of the way was likely to make him more open to listening to the further changes Elsa was making to the contract.

He was in the middle of telling yet another story about his father when he stopped and gave a sigh. Elsa's eyebrows were furrowed as she looked at the tiny man.

"It must be difficult for you," she said suddenly. Mr. Weselton looked at her curiously. "The merger, that is. Your company is such a large part of your family history."

It was an oddly astute comment for Elsa. Mr. Weselton gave a small smile. "That it is, Ms. Arendelle," he said with another sigh. He stared out the large windows for a while, apparently lost in thought. Elsa looked over at Anna, her face now worried. Anna gave two thumbs up in her lap, under the table.

"I suppose we should get down to the matter at hand," Mr. Weselton said. "We have the matter of employees to discuss, specifically those jobs which will become redundant or doubled." He pulled out a stack of paper.

"I have a list of people from the departments we discussed last time," Elsa said, pulling up her own notes. "I consulted with the heads, particularly of marketing and legal resources, to figure out their needs and recommendations. There are a few cases where it was suggested that we will need to grow those areas and we would, of course, wish to incorporate as much of your staff as possible."

Anna took notes, her mind wandering to the first meeting she had attended between these two. She had to hide a grin at the memory of wheeling Elsa from one end of the table to the other. But more than just convincing Elsa to do certain things she could see that the blonde was becoming engaged in the process, putting more of herself into her job. It was better than anything Anna could have hoped for, and it was moments like these that made her sure that Elsa really would be keeping her position. There was nothing standing in her way.

"Did you do something to her?" Mr. Weselton asked, coming up to Anna after Elsa left the room at the end of the meeting.

"That's the second time I've been asked that this week," Anna said. She gave a quick glance at the door Elsa had just left though, giving an indulgent smile. "But no, all I do is help her prepare. She does the rest on her own."

"You know, up until today..." He shook his head. "Well, your preparations must be really something. If I didn't already have two very able assistants, I'd be asking you to move to my office!"

Anna gave a polite smile. "That's very kind of you."

He actually bowed at that. "Have a good afternoon, Ms. Summers. Come along," he barked at his assistants. Anna watched him to the elevator then skipped back to the office. Elsa, she decided, deserved a reward for that meeting.

* * *

Wednesday. Call of Duty. It was everything Elsa lived for.

Except for when it wasn't.

"Shouldn't..."  _Kiss_  "you..."  _kiss_. "go..."  _kiss_  "online."

Anna tried pulling herself away scooting back on the couch. Elsa whined and pulled her back for more kissing.

"Do you want to explain to Olaf what we were up to?" Anna finally said.

Elsa pouted and said some impolite things about friends who didn't understand how very important kissing Anna was.

Anna giggled at her grumblings and moved herself to the far end of the couch, nestling against the arm. Elsa wanted to protest, but she knew full well that if she played with Anna sitting next to her she would probably end up hitting her in the face while flailing around. Then Anna laid out her legs and held up her arms, making a spot for Elsa. Elsa smiled and scooted up next to her, laying with her back against Anna's stomach. She pulled on her headset and turned on the console.

"Elsa! You took forever and we thought you had been bedridden with fever!" Olaf said as soon as she got in game.

"We agreed that you were bedridden. I never thought it was with fever," Marshmallow corrected.

Elsa felt her cheeks warm and she shot a furtive glance over her shoulder. Anna was using the tips of her fingers to draw her purse closer, trying not to jostle their comfortable position. Elsa was very glad that Anna couldn't hear what was being said on the headset.

"You two always overreact," Elsa said, carefully choosing her words. She tilted over the side of the couch and helped pull Anna's bag towards them. Anna retrieved her phone.

"Let's just play already," she said, before Olaf and Marshmallow could talk about beds again while she was sitting between Anna's thighs.

Anna played phone games while Elsa swore at a snarky twelve-year old who thought he was being funny. She, Olaf, and Marshmallow pulled off their usual flawless victories.

Elsa wasn't lost in the game as much as she normally was, though. Anna's left hand was trailing absently across her neck, playing with her hair. And she could still feel the throbbing heat that had flowed through her from their make-out session.

She wondered if it was the result of fifteen years of pent up sexuality all trying to get out at once. That was probably it. She had been suppressed for so long that, now that she was letting herself go, it was like a dam had burst. It was wonderful. And terrifying.

Despite Anna's strict no-pressure policy, Elsa was very aware of the looming question of sex. Kissing and cuddling and running hands across bare skin was all very well, but it felt like it should lead to something and that it never quite got there. Elsa was familiar enough with romance novels to know what that something was.

They normally played Call of Duty for hours, but it was barely two hours later that Marshmallow coughed into the mic.

"Think it's time we called it."

Olaf groaned into his mike. "Come on, one more game."

Elsa should have protested, but her heart hadn't been in it. And Anna still had a hand playing with her hair.

"I think Elsa has some other stuff to get to," he said pointedly.

"What?" Olaf asked, confusion plain in his voice. "But it's only ten o'clock and she never has work on Wednesday."

"Not work, Olaf."

"Then what?"

"I'll tell you when you're older." Elsa laughed into her mic at Marshmallow's deadpan.

"I'm older than you are!"

"Night, guys," Elsa said. She pulled of the headset, grinning at the silliness of her boys.

"Done already?" Anna asked. She wrapped her arms around Elsa and nuzzled her face into her shoulder.

"I think Marshmallow thought we needed quality time."

"Mmm, can't disagree," Anna said, planting a kiss at her nape.

"So what shall we get up to?" Elsa asked, trying her best to go for a sultry voice. She may have achieved lewd.

It was somewhat alarming when, instead of giggling or giving her more neck kisses, Anna cleared her throat. "Actually," she said, voice betraying something that sounded like dread, "I needed to talk to you about that."

 _Uh-oh,_ was Elsa's immediate thought. Was Anna going to break up with her because she noticed that Elsa has no idea what she's doing and it's not going to work? Part of her knew that was ridiculous, but she was failing to come up with any other options.

"Okay, so, uh, this isn't to pressure you or anything, I just wanted to bring it up, because, you know, things seem to be going well and all," Anna said, mumbling. Her ears were pink. "but... um..."

It was so weird to see Anna at a loss for words. Elsa sat up, turning around so she was facing Anna. Her heart was racing. She said things were going well – it couldn't be bad news. But why was her stomach flopping around like a fish on land?

"Uh well... my personal policy," Anna said. She paused and gave a small cough. "Ummm... I always get tested, right, between partners, you know, waiting a couple months after the... uh... last time and uh... I ask my partners to do the same. Otherwise use we can use barriers."

Tested? Elsa blinked. Tested about what?

"I got tested about a month ago because... well, that's not important... but it'd been seven months since the last time and it came out clean, so no worries there. And like I said, no pressure at all to rush things if you're not ready, I just wanted to make sure it was out there so you could decide to get tested or if you just want to use dental dams and gloves."

Elsa ran this statement through her mind. She'd been suggesting making out and now Anna was talking about tests and dentistry for all she could tell. "So, ummm," she said, trying to think of something she could latch onto to comment intelligently on. Nope, nothing. "What?"

Anna looked at her confused face for a minute, her own brow furrowing. "Haven't you ever...?" Ever what? "No?" she ventured.

"You've been having safe sex, right?"

Elsa's face went from neutral to burning in the space of a second.  _That_  was what they were talking about? She went back over Anna's statement. Tested? Okay, that one made some sort of sense. Elsa had gotten the pamphlets in first year of university, same as everyone. But, as far as she could remember from a hurried embarrassed reading, it had only talked about condoms. What did lesbians – or a lesbian and a bisexual girl – use? She was too embarrassed to ask.

That left her with answering Anna's question.

"Uh... no," she said quietly, looking at her hands.

"What?" Anna's voice was shocked. Elsa cleared her throat and forced herself to continue.

"I haven't been... I've never... had any."

There was a drawn out silence while Elsa continued to stare at her fingers. She had no idea what was going through Anna's head and she didn't want to know.

After what felt like an eternity, Anna shifted. "Not even man sex?"

Elsa whipped her head up, stared at Anna in surprise. Anna looked shocked that she had said it, then she gave a sheepish grin. Elsa was torn between running away to her room in horror at having revealed something so personal, and running away in horror at the thought of 'man sex,' as Anna had so eloquently put it.

After another moment, Anna started laughing. It was an embarrassed laugh. She covered her face with her hands and continued to laugh.

Elsa was mortified. This was possibly the most awkward conversation she'd ever had in her life. She knew almost nothing about sex and it was occurring to her how very experienced Anna likely was in areas  _other_  than kissing.

And all she had wanted was to make out with Anna that evening. Life was decisively cruel to her.

"Sorry," Anna said after a while, removing her hands. "That was the dumbest sounding thing I've ever said. I wasn't laughing at you."

"I wouldn't blame you if you were," Elsa said

"No, really, I wasn't," Anna said hurriedly. She leant over and took Elsa's hand. She gave a reassuring squeeze. "It's nothing weird or anything, and it really makes a lot of sense with you, anyway."

Elsa gave a small smile. They sat in silence for a while, Anna gently caressing Elsa's hand with her own.

Elsa was confused – not just about the safe sex (fortunately, she could Google that when Anna went home) but also about the idea of just having sex. Anna was making it clear she wasn't expecting anything from her, but she was right, things were going well. If work and other things didn't keep interrupting them... well, eventually, they were going to have enough time together. And judging by how much her brain went to mush when they were kissing, she was likely going to just make the decision in the heat of the moment. Trust Anna to be thinking ahead about that. Elsa wondered briefly how she'd ever managed her life, professional or otherwise, before Anna came along.

"About the other stuff," she said finally, breaking the silence. She forced her voice to come out calm and collected. "I hadn't really thought about it. I'll look into it, though."

Anna nodded. There was another brief silence while they stared at their held hands.

"So..." Anna said. Elsa looked up at her. Anna wiggled her eyebrows. "What  _should_  we get up to?"

Elsa laughed and pulled Anna towards her.

* * *

It occurred to Anna, in a slow and slightly horrifying way, that she was Elsa's first... everything. Well, not kiss. She  _had_  told Anna about Sachiko. But that had been when Elsa was fourteen. Elsa had never been on a real date, never been told 'I love you', never stayed up all night cuddling, never received a sexy text... This was horrifying. Not because of Elsa – after all, people held out on such things all the time for very good reasons – but because such experiences should be memorable and romantic.

Anna was about as romantic as a stick. Her idea of romance was Tim Horton's and making out in the office.

She needed to do this right.

"Hans, you're romantic. How do you do it?" she asked over lunch.

Hans was keeping his word about being friends. He'd dragged her away from Elsa Friday afternoon to catch up. She was sad to be missing Elsa at lunch time, but as Elsa reminded her they'd be spending all evening together.

Hans, for his part, only raised an eyebrow and her peculiar question. "Buy her flowers?"

"I didn't say her," she said. She hadn't officially told him they were dating – abiding by Elsa's wishes – but of course he would guess.

"Right," he said, clearly not believing her. "Also, build on interests. What does she like?"

She thought about this for a moment. "Call of Duty."

"Elsa likes Call of Duty?" Incredulity was all over his face.

"I didn't say we were talking about Elsa," Anna reminded him.

Hans' face continued to wander through various forms of confusion and surprise as he worked through consolidating the image of The Ice Queen and a Call of Duty player.

"No, I can't see it. My mind won't do it," he announced. He looked at her, his eyebrows scrunched together. "Call of Duty?"

Anna sighed, poking at her sub. "This is why she has such a hard time with people," she said. "She really is a person. A good one."

Hans still looked sceptical. "I'd go with flowers," he said at last. "And a fancy dinner."

As she wandered back to the office she thought about this. Flowers and dinner were so... boring. Okay for most people, but with Elsa she wanted to offer her something special for a first real date. And they'd already done a fancy dinner, even if it was Olaf setting them up.

And Elsa wanted to be private. Going to a restaurant wasn't private. She wanted to be able to hold Elsa's hand and kiss her. But it had to be out of the house – Anna wasn't a good enough cook to make dinner at home possible. She'd just end up burning it like the pancakes.

A flashing sign caught her eye as she rounded a busy street corner.

 _Now there's an idea_...

* * *

"I'm going to get car sick," Elsa complained, but she kept her palms over her eyes anyway.

"I just need to park, give me a min," Anna said from the seat next to her. Elsa tried to guess where they were. Anna had only told her to close her eyes and dress 'date casual.' Whatever that meant. She went with the ubiquitous little black dress and a brown leather jacket for their surprise date. She was trying not to panic about letting Anna drive her car for the first time while Elsa's eyes were closed.

"Okay, here we are," Anna said. Elsa heard the click of her belt buckle and the door open.

"Am I allowed to open my eyes?"

The door shut. Elsa lowered her hands slowly, and opened her eyes. Her door was pulled open.

"Ah, you're not supposed to open them yet!" Anna protested. She offered a hand. Elsa suppressed a chuckle as Anna helped her out of the car. She looked at the place Anna had taken her.

"Karaoke?" she said, staring at the purple neon sign. An immediate, dreadful picture of a crowd of drunk people staring at a stage overwhelmed her.

"They have private booths. I booked one, just for us." Anna bit her lip, looking at Elsa expectantly, clearly waiting to see what she thought.

"That's actually... really cool," she said, after some thought, inspecting the building in a new light. She'd been dreading some sort of fancy restaurant or a club after a long week of being an involved boss. But once again, it seemed, Anna had anticipated her introvert needs. She turned back to Anna.

"Why are you holding a cactus?" Anna was actually holding multiple cacti, but that just made it more confusing. It was a shallow ceramic dish and had little prickly red bulbs, with some sort of fleshy looking leafy thing and a traditional cactus accompanying it. There were tiny pebbles in the blank space, turning it into a miniature garden.

Anna blushed and grinned. "It's a present," she said, holding it out.

Elsa took it. "Thank you?" it came out like a question.

Anna gave a little laugh. "So I was preparing for the date and was thinking 'I'll go get some flowers for her', to be all romantic and like. So I went to the flower section and there were lots of roses and all that but, you know, I started thinking about flower meaning and that just got  _really_  complicated really fast, and then I saw this little cactus garden and thought it was perfect."

"Perfect?"

"It reminded me of you."

Elsa stared at it for a second. There were spines all over the place. "Is that a good thing?"

Anna smiled again. "A bit prickly on the outside, sure, but really beautiful. And they manage to thrive despite harsh conditions. That one has a flower," she pointed out the tiny blossom.

 _This one has a flower_... Elsa laughed and leaned down to kiss Anna. She was such a weird, but incredible, person. "Ow!" Anna yelped.

"Sorry." Elsa moved the cacti off to the side.

"Maybe that's why people don't give cacti as gifts," Anna noted, inspecting her chest for war wounds. Elsa smiled and looked at it again.

"Also, that one looks like a penis," she pointed out with a grin.

Anna looked at it and started laughing "Only with needles."

"So about as appealing to me for sexual purposes."

This got another burst of laughter from Anna, and Elsa smiled, pleased at her joke.

"Come on, let's go check this place out."

* * *

Anna couldn't sing very well. Elsa decided she didn't care. She was choosing the silliest songs she could, mostly sappy 90s love songs, and singing them to Elsa with as much out-of-tune passion as could be found anywhere.

"...what you did, where you're from, as long as you love me!" Anna had ended the song on her knees, staring up at Elsa with a soppy, tipsy grin that showed more love than Elsa had ever had directed at her. She was blushing, but she leaned down and kissed Anna on the nose.

"You know," she said thoughtfully as she straightened up, "I always felt that song was more desperate than romantic."

"Don't hate on the Backstreet Boys."

"It's basically saying they'd date whoever it is, even if they committed murder, so long as they love them back. If that's not desperate, I don't know what is."

"You pick a better romantic song, then." Anna thrust the mike at Elsa, clambering to her feet. She made a mock bow, indicating to the small area free of table that was their stage. Elsa sighed and picked up the remote, flicking through options rapidly. So much 80s and 90s cheese...

"Ah, here we go!" she said. "Frank Sinatra."

She flashed a grin at Anna's surprised look and poked through them. Her father had been partial to that era of jazz, so it was Elsa's childhood. She was still of the opinion that no one sang romance like Frank.

Of course they only had his later covers... but she grinned when she saw the perfect song. The Stevie Wonder version was the more familiar, but she liked the sound of the Sinatra version.

The familiar big band sound filled the small room with its swing. Elsa glanced at Anna. She had her Pina Colada to her lips and was watching with a mixture of smugness and confusion. Elsa cleared her throat...

" _For once in my life I have someone who needs me_

_Someone I've needed so long_

_For once, unafraid, I can go where life leads me_

_And somehow I know I'll be strong._

_For once I can touch what my heart used to dream of_

_Long before I knew_

_Someone warm like you_

_Would make my dreams come true_ "

Anna's mouth had dropped open, her drink forgotten as she stared at Elsa in wonder.  _I don't think I told her I took singing lessons_ , Elsa realised. She grinned and continued crooning into the mike, her voice growing more confident with every line.

" _For once in my life I won't let sorrow hurt me_

_Not like it's hurt me before_

_For once, I have something I know won't desert me_

_I'm not alone anymore._

_For once, I can say, this is mine, you can't take it_

_As long as I know I have love, I can make it_

_For once in my life, I got someone,_

_For once in my life, I found someone,_

_For once in my life, I've got someone who needs me."_

The final chord faded away, and Elsa felt her face grow warm. She smiled shyly at Anna, who still had her mouth open. After a moment, she seemed to realise this. She closed it with a snap, then reached out her arms for Elsa.

"Did I win?" Elsa asked, coming into the embrace.

"You won."

They continued singing. And occasionally dancing (Anna's idea). Being silly, being romantic. Getting just tipsy enough that everything was starting to be funny while not quite being in the realm of drunk.

There was a lull, when their throats were getting sore and they were just snuggling in the booth. Elsa was staring at Anna, marvelling in how beautiful and crazy she was. Everything about her was perfect.

Anna, noticing her gaze, bit her lip and smiled. "What?"

Elsa, impulsively, reached over to stroke her face. "You got me a cactus," she said.

Anna rolled her eyes. "I told you-"

"I know." Elsa interrupted gently. "It's a good thing. You're so weird."

Anna bit her lip again. God, that was sexy. She looked away suddenly, leaning against Elsa. "We are all a little weird," she said, "and life's a little weird, and when we find someone who's weirdness is compatible with our own we fall into mutual weirdness and call it love."

Elsa's brow furrowed for a moment. Anna looked up to see her confused expression.

"Dr. Seuss quote," she explained.

"I don't remember that book."

Elsa's hand was still on Anna's face. Anna covered it with her own. After a second, she picked it up and moved her face to kiss Elsa's palm.

"I think I love you," she whispered into it.

Elsa face turned red. She forced a laugh. There was no way Anna was serious. "That's the alcohol talking."

Suddenly, Anna was very serious. She turned around so she was looking right in Elsa's eyes. "No. I'm only buzzed, Elsa," she said, clearly. "You're perfect, and damn – your voice... and I'm falling in love with you."

Elsa's stomach flip-flopped at these words. Anna was serious, alcohol or not. She couldn't reply. She certainly adored Anna, and was quickly finding it hard to imagine the future without her in it. She relied on her, and wanted to spend time with her. But she couldn't truthfully say 'I love you'. And Anna was still looking at her.

"I... Anna..."  _God damn it_. She wasn't even sure if she knew what love was.

Anna gave a rueful smile. "Sorry," she said. She leaned in and kissed Elsa gently. "Only when you're ready, don't worry about it," she whispered.

Elsa's stomach clenched painfully as Anna pulled away and skipped over to the machine. "Let's do musical theatre. I wonder if they have Singing in the Rain on here..."

* * *

"Should we share a taxi?" Anna wondered as she shuffled through her bag, looking for her phone. "My place is only sort of in the same direction..."

They had decided, having each had a couple of mixed drinks, that Elsa would pick up the car tomorrow. Elsa didn't want to say goodbye. Yet again, she'd had one of the greatest night of her life with Anna. And she didn't want it to end.

Musical theatre had dissolved into making out. As usual, they had found themselves in a position where clothes had almost been abandoned, and it was only the beleaguered employee, informing them that they had ten minutes till time was up that stopped them.

She was horny, and her girlfriend was right there. And she was going to send her home? Why?

She was waffling, though, holding onto the last bit of fear.  _What if it isn't right?_  She looked at the cactus in her hands as Anna punched in the taxi number. The cactus that Anna gave her in her quirky, wonderful way.

A first time might be special. Or it might mean nothing in particular, beyond the normal meeting of human bodies.

But if she was going to share that time with anyone, special or not, it was going to be with Anna in all her pig-tailed, cactus giving, out of tune singing glory.

"Do you want-" her voice caught in her throat, drying up in the middle of the sentence. Anna looked up from the cellphone. She cleared it. "Want to come back to my place?"

Anna stared at her.

"For the night?" Elsa clarified. She held her free hand firmly at her side, preventing herself from hugging her own chest.

On Anna's face, surprise turned into delight and then quickly was hidden behind a calm mask.

"Sure."

* * *

**So I'm a bit late with this chapter. Because I accidentally wrote two chapters. Two long chapters. Oops. Give some love to the editor, btw. The Great Demon Fluffziel has put up with a lot of crap from me this weekend. Next chapter will probably be up by the time you read this.**

**Speaking of next one - SMUT AHOY! ( **well, Smuff, really)**  If you are reading on the bus, or in class, or while sitting next to your mother, you may want to wait until you're, you know, NOT.**

**-Capt. Elfy**


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> SMUT. and fluff. wheee.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: I posted 16 and 17 together. Make sure you read both.
> 
> Also, I warned you. You better not be in class right now.

 

Elsa waited for Anna to kick off her shoes, worrying her bottom lip with her teeth. She had no idea what she should be doing right now. She knew where the night was heading, yes, but how did you get from point A to point B when you were feeling decidedly sick, not sexy?

Anna placed her shoes neatly on the mat before turning to Elsa. She must have seen some of the anxiety on Elsa's face, because she grabbed her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "So does this mean I get to see the mysterious Elsa cave?" she asked.

This brought an immediate smile to Elsa's lips. Anna had noticed that Elsa never let her see the bedroom. Even when she had brought Anna here to try on clothes she hadn't let her see into her space.

It was the one place that Elsa really felt was  _hers_. Even with having her own apartment, she never really let the rest of it reflect herself. It was nicely decorated and maintained by the hotel staff. But her bedroom was hers alone. It contained all her books, little mementos, posters of Call of Duty. She didn't bother about making it look presentable, or like a place where a CEO should live. She didn't even allow cleaning staff in there – she tidied it herself, and put her laundry out in a basket when it needed to be done. It really was her 'cave'.

She nodded at Anna's question, and led her by the hand down the hall to her door. "It's not very clean," she said, feeling the need to apologize. "And kind of cluttered. If I'd thought you were coming over I would have changed the sheets at least..."

"I'm not planning on hosting the queen in there," Anna said, raising an eyebrow. Elsa gave a small laugh and pushed open the door.

She walked in, Anna trailing behind her, still holding her hand. Her palms were actually sweaty. She had no idea how things were supposed to go or what Anna would think about her personal space or if she was even making the right decision. Absolutely everything that could go wrong, from Anna suddenly coming to her senses and rejecting her to a meteor falling on the hotel, was running through her head.

Elsa tried to see the place from Anna's perspective. Books lined a full wall – some business books, but they were scattered between Isaac Asimov, Terry Pratchett, Robert Heinlein and Anne Mccaffery. The bed was unmade. There was an empty cup from that morning on her bedside table as well as a litter of reciepts and various chargers. The laundry basket at the foot of the bed was overflowing. Elsa's face flushed, despite Anna's previous reassurances.

"Nice bed!" Anna cried suddenly. She dropped Elsa's hand and made a dive for the piece of furniture that occupied a good quarter of the room. It was a king size, the headboard piled with pillows and a soft down comforter in lilac and blue. She hadn't made it the night before – she never did, but now she was feeling self-conscious about it. Anna didn't care. She was wrapping herself up in the comforter and burying herself in the pillows. The corner of Elsa's mouth twitched.

"We could lose each other in here, you know," came Anna's muffled voice from the pillow pile. "Maybe we should develop an emergency call, in case one of us goes missing."

Anxiety melted away in the face of overwhelming affection for Anna. Elsa carefully placed her cactus on the bedside table before climbing onto the bed. She sat there and smiled at her ridiculous, adorable girlfriend. "It's not that big," she said.

"What, sorry?" Anna cried, giggling. "I can't hear you. You're too far away!"

Elsa gave an eye roll that Anna couldn't see. She watched her snuggle into the pillows, wrapped up in the giant comforter.  _What the hell_ , she thought before tackling her. She wrapping her up in her arms, comforter and all. Anna continued her giggling as Elsa kissed her jaw. "Am I too far away now?" she asked.

"Yes," Anna said, pouting. "You should be in here with me." She tugged at the blanket that separated her from Elsa.

 _Is this normal?_ She asked herself, as she helped untangle Anna from the blanket, kissing her mouth and neck all the while. Having someone who could make her go from being a nervous wreck to making-out in the space of seconds?

 _Does it even matter?_ She decided not as Anna pulled her down so they were laying side by side, horizontal on the bed. Anna's hands immediately went to Elsa's hair, her mouth to that sensitive spot behind Elsa's ear. The effect was like hot liquid running through her veins, radiating from that one single spot.

"Dammit, Anna," she gasped. It wasn't fair that Anna had found the one spot that seemed to make her melt and she hadn't found Anna's. Possibly because she kept getting turned into a puddle before she could get anywhere.

Anna ignored her. A hand stroked down the length of her braid, finding the elastic at the end and tugging it off. She flung it aside carelessly before her fingers began to undo Elsa's braid. She was still kissing and occasionally licking the spot behind Elsa's ear.

Not willing to let this turn into all Anna doing stuff to her, Elsa used a great amount of will to pull her head back so she was kissing Anna's mouth. Her hair fell in drapes around them both as she pushed herself up, hovering over Anna. She was the first to open her mouth, sending her tongue out to taste Anna's lip and then her tongue. She tasted like coconuts and rum. Mixed with the smell of Anna's strawberry shampoo it created a heady cocktail that assaulted Elsa's senses.

Anna's hands wandered to Elsa's waist, running up her back outside of her dress, hampered from touching skin by the stiff black fabric, but still sending delightful shivers through her.

 _Now that's an idea_ , Elsa thought. She pulled away from the kiss and looked down at Anna's shirt. She had opted for a button down blouse that day, which was very much to Elsa's delight.

"Hey," Anna protested the lack of kissing, but Elsa grinned and moved her hands to the top button on Anna's blouse, popping it open.

 _I can't believe I'm doing this_ , part of her was thinking as she smoothed open the collar, looking at milky skin peppered with freckles.  _I have literally dreamed about doing this._  She kissed Anna's exposed chest, delighting at the feeling of her soft skin. She undid another button and moved down between her breast, kissing along the edge of her bra before continuing to follow the opening of the shirt with every button. Anna's hand was in her hair, massaging her scalp, encouraging her to keep going. Elsa got to the last button, exposing Anna's belly button and the waistband of her jeans. It was a remarkably alluring sight. The jeans rode low on her waist, exposing the top of her hips for Elsa's viewing pleasure. And, unlike at the swimming pool, she allowed herself to drink in the sight.

Anna pushed herself up from the bed, catching Elsa's mouth with her own as she pulled off the shirt, kissing Elsa thoroughly as Elsa stroked the newly exposed skin with her hands, her fingers tracing the line of the waist band and up her sides to the fabric of her bra.

She fingered the band on the bra for a moment, hesitating. Was it to forward, taking off the bra before she had even taken off her dress? She let her fingers slide down the length of Anna's spine, making her back arch under her hand before returning to the one item that separated her from Anna's breasts.

"Go for it," Anna said. She was still captivated by Elsa's hair, running her fingers through it stroking Elsa's temples and massaging Elsa's scalp. It was a sensual touch, one that relaxed Elsa, made her feel more confident.

She pinched the clasp expertly with one hand.  _Bonus of being a lesbian,_  she thought, a grin coming to her face and the bra slackened,  _both of us know how to work a bra_.

Another benefit of lesbianism came apparent as Anna discarded the piece of lingerie.

Anna's breast were perfection. They were pale, the rosy nipple hardened into a point with arousal. Elsa had to pull herself back to admire the sight of Anna in the full, sitting there in nothing but jeans and her pigtails, smooth stomach leading up to breasts, collar bones creating a gentle line. Her long neck led to a freckled, smiling face that was looking at Elsa with a perfect mixture of love and desire.

"Wow," was all she could think of to say. Anna grinned, reaching for Elsa's hand, she lifted it to her left breast, pressing her hand to it. It was warm against her hand. Soft, and the nipple a hard point against her hand.

"They like to be touched," Anna said, still grinning. "Kissing's good too."

She lay back down on the bed and, emboldened by the invitation, Elsa straddled. She massaged Anna's breasts gently, one in each hand. Cupping them, running fingers across the pale skin, circling a nipple with a single finger. Anna bit her lip again, stretching out and sighing with pleasure at every motion of Elsa's hands.

Elsa moved her hands down Anna's sides, once again trailing her fingers and watching Anna arch slightly beneath the touch. She bent down and, with only the barest hesitation, gently kissed one taught nipple. She was met with a pleased hum from Anna. Elsa adjusted herself so she was laying on her side, stomach pressed up against Anna's hip to that her face was by her breast.

She traced the edge of the areola with her tongue before taking the nub between her lips, sucking gently. She moved her hand to the other breast, massaging, not wanting to miss a moment of contract. Anna's hand had returned to her hair, tangled in it. Every time Elsa licked the soft skin or took the tip into her mouth, Anna's hand would flex, tugging gently on her scalp, letting her know that her ministrations were being very much enjoyed.

After a few minutes, Anna removed her hands from Elsa's hair, trailing them down her neck. until she found the zipper at the back of Elsa's dress.

Elsa lifted her head, looking up at Anna. Anna's breathing was heavy, her chest rising and falling deeply as she caught the top of the zipper and tugged. The thought of laying with Anna, skin to skin, was making Elsa's already fast pulse quicken. She trailed kisses along Anna's neck, moving herself up to her lips, as Anna lowered the zipper.

"Ouch!" Elsa yelped suddenly, a sharp tug at the base of her neck sending a jolt of pain.

"Sorry, hair got caught," Anna muttered, untangling the strand gently. "Little help please?"

"You're the one who pulled it out of it's braid," Elsa grumbled. But she sat up and lifted the hair out of the way, piling it on top of her head.

"Nice," Anna said, apparently forgetting about the zipper as she looked Elsa over. Elsa could feel her arm starting to get tired as Anna took the time to admire her in what was apparently a very sexy position. And she was  _really_  ready to be naked. "Are you going to undress me or stare at me all day?" she asked.

Anna smirked, leering at Elsa. "Can I do both?"

Elsa rolled her eyes. She dropped her hair over her left shoulder, keeping it out of the way and reached for the zipper.

"No! That's my job," she said playfully swatting away Elsa's hand. She scooted around to Elsa's back and pulled at the zipper. She didn't do so slowly or with any particular amount of sensuality, but once she got to the bottom she let her fingers trail slowly up the length of Elsa's spine before moving to push the shoulders of the dress down her arms. Elsa shivered with delight at the touch and heard Anna give a soft chuckle behind her. She planted a kiss between Elsa's shoulder blades as the dress came off.

She moved to let Anna slide it down her legs and then toss it off the bed with Anna's shirt and the hair elastic. She didn't have time to become self conscious of her near nakedness. Anna pulled Elsa down again. They were side by side, facing each other, Elsa's bare legs tangled into Anna's denim-clad ones. The waist band was pressed against Elsa's hips and stomach. Anna's bare breasts were pressed to Elsa's bra.

Anna reached down and in one smooth motion, hitched Elsa's top leg up to go over Anna's hip. Anna moved her leg so that it was pressed between Elsa's legs.

Elsa gasped at the contact, pressure mitigated by only the thin fabric of her underwear. There was a growing warmth at her core and it was making any sort of thought or deliberate movement difficult.

Anna's hand was now tracing lines up and down Elsa's bare thigh, drawing closer and closer to the line of her panties with each upward stroke. At the same time she was managing to kiss Elsa, nibbling at her lower lip, each nip followed by a swipe of the tongue. A finger ran along the elastic at the base of her leg, tracing up over her hip and almost all the way down to between her legs before Anna returned to stroking her thigh.

Elsa was overwhelmed. Her whole body felt like it was in sensory overload, but it still wasn't enough. She was as close to Anna physically as she'd ever been but she needed to be closer. She used her remaining brain cells to remove her leg. She reached down to tug at the leg of Anna's jeans.

"Off," she said. It came out as a whine, desperate and needy. She had never wanted something so much in her life.

Anna smirked against her lips and moved back. Her leg was withdrawn and Elsa suppressed a moan. She could feel the wetness between them. She lay there, a complete pile of mush, as Anna undid the button and zipper. She noticed Elsa watching and slowly wiggled her hips as she pulled the jeans down. The effect was somewhat ruined when Anna had to shift to sitting to get them over her legs, but it was still one of the sexiest things Elsa could imagine.

Then she noticed the underwear.

"What?" Anna asked at her outburst of laughter, clearly somewhat put out at this reaction.

Elsa reached out and ran a finger underneath the waist band of the underwear, earning a lovely gasp from Anna. "You wore these on your first day," she said. She traced the outline of one of the green hearts on Anna's hip.

"How did you..." Anna started to say, then she seemed to remember and gave a breathy laugh. "Klutz plus a pencil skirt. I really tortured you, showing off my underwear, didn't I?"

Elsa giggled. She leaned over to kiss the now-exposed line of Anna's hip. "I don't know whether to enjoy the sight of you in these or if I want to ask you to take them off," she said, tugging the elastic again.

Anna's face scrunched up into a look of contemplation for a moment before she said, "clothes are so yesterday." She had them off before Elsa had time to comment.

And there was Anna, in full naked glory, right before. Her Anna. Naked. Elsa's brain was frozen, stuck on a single thought.

 _Whoa_.

Naked. Sitting right there. Perfect, lovely ass. The line of her hips leading right into a patch of curly red hair that hid her centre.

_Fuck. Awesome._

"Hey, are you going to undress or stare at me all day?" Anna asked with a laugh.

"Uh..." No coherent thought was coming to her. Anna laughed and scooted closer to Elsa. She was on her knees, and Elsa had a very good view from her position on her side.

"Come here," Anna said, pulling Elsa up so she was kneeling again. Elsa didn't resist. Anna reached around to grasp the clasp of Elsa's bra and pull away the offending garment. Elsa could barely keep herself upright. Red curly hair and a slick of wetness were brushing her thigh as Anna nearly straddled her to reach behind. The bra slid down her arms and Anna discarded it.

"That's better," Anna said. She kissed each breast once, gently, before guiding Elsa onto her back. She tugged at the underwear and Elsa obediently lifted her hips off the bed to let her slide them off. "Much better."

Anna crawled so that she was on her hands and knees above Elsa. She nudged between Elsa's legs with her left knee, so that she could put down her leg. Elsa was still in shock. She couldn't think to bring her hands up around Anna's neck or to touch her or anything. She was using all her brain power to keep breathing.

"You okay?" Anna asked softly. She brushed a few stray hairs away from Elsa's face with one hand, tucking them behind her ear.

 _Absolutely perfect_ , she wanted to say, but settled on nodding. Anna smiled and lowered down so that she could kiss her, the entire length of their bodies touching,. She supported her weight on her elbows.

And her thigh... Anna moved her hip slightly, bringing it closer to Elsa, touching against her core.

Breathing was getting very difficult.

And, of course, Anna seemed to read her. She stayed focused on kissing, giving Elsa time to focus on all the sensations of Anna against her. She had her hands against Elsa's shoulders, underneath, holding her close, like she couldn't get near enough to Elsa, either. Elsa eventually brought her arms up to Anna's back. She ran her hands up and down, following the full length of her spine, unimpeded from the nape of her neck to firm, round buttocks.

She felt Anna smile against her lips and a second later her thigh moved, pressing it inward against Elsa before sliding up.

Elsa gasped.

Anna gave a soft laugh and gave Elsa a hard, deep kiss. She shifted again, laying down on her side, moving her bottom arm to cradle Elsa's head and tangling in her hair again.

 _Is she going to-_  she didn't even have time to complete the question in her mind as Anna trailed her right hand down Elsa's body, over the curve of her breasts and the line of her stomach before coming to rest over the soft hair between Elsa's thighs.

"Lay back and enjoy the ride, okay?" she whispered in Elsa's ear.

Elsa was glad for that. As Anna's first two fingers began to stroke along the length of her folds, she didn't think she could manage to do anything. Reflexively she widened her legs, allowing Anna greater access.

Anna's fingers stroked gently, becoming smoother as they were coated in the wetness. She planted a soft kiss on Elsa's neck before her hand went higher, brushing over Elsa's clit.

Elsa's entire body reacted to the intensity of the contact, her toes curling and her knee jerking upward in response.

Her fingers gripped at the sheets, at Anna's back, anything she could grab as Anna began slow, light circled around her hood. The weight of her hand slowly increased. Elsa's breath came in short gasps as the pressure grew.

She whined when Anna removed her fingers. "Patience, love," Anna said. Elsa nearly swore at her.

She was in no mood to be patient. She wanted Anna more than anything. She wanted her to touch her and never stop.

Anna returned to stroking up and down, going deeper with each movement, until two fingers were resting at Elsa's entrance.

"Anna," she pleased, the name coming as nothing more than a breath.

Anna pushed the two fingers inside of her. Elsa's back arched. She could feel them. Anna wiggled the digits, making a moan escape Elsa's lips. Anna kissed her neck again, her other hand tightening in her hair as she began to push in and out, her hand making a wet popping noise with every motion.

Elsa was putty in her hands, writhing with pleasure at every motion. She could do little but gasp as Anna worked inside her.

It was nearly too much when Anna pressed her thumb back against Elsa's clit, her hand still inside her. She crooked her finger, pressing against Elsa's inside as the thumb began to circle.

The build was fast, and intense. She was unable to contain the little moans and gasps that escaped her. She arched, pushing further into Anna's hand.

"Anna-" Elsa gasped.

"I've got you," Anna replied softly. Her thumb made another circle, and Elsa came undone in her hands. She could feel her insides clenching against Anna's fingers. She was panting as she rode out the climax. Her fingers dug into Anna's shoulder and she bit down on her lip to keep from swearing from the pure pleasure that was moving through her.

The orgasm faded. It felt like her whole body was melting into the bed and Anna's arms. Anna's slowly withdrew her fingers. She kissed Elsa's jaw, her ear, her cheek, her nose before finally coming to rest on her lips. She ran her fingers through the hair between Elsa's legs gently a few times before bringing it back up to her waist. It was still slick, but Elsa didn't care. She was floating and sinking, lost in an overwhelming feeling of bliss.

"Good?" Anna asked softly after a minute. Elsa took a deep breath, and released it slowly, coming back to herself.

"Amazing," she said finally. Anna chuckled. She snuggled up closer, spooning her naked body to Elsa's. She reached behind, finding the blanket to pull over them both.

Elsa could feel her mind starting to drift off into sleep already. Her body very nearly ached with exhaustion. She looked at the clock – 4:06am. How had it gotten that late? She'd been so awake a few minutes ago. She turned on her side, curling up closer to Anna. Something occurred to her.

"I never did you," she muttered. Anna laughed, her breath coming as soft puffs against Elsa's hair.

"It's fine," she said. "I don't think you have the presence of mind right now."

 _That_  was very true. "Sorry."

Anna chuckled again. "It's fine, love. We have tomorrow. And the next day. And the next day." She wrapped her arms tighter around Elsa as she spoke. Elsa grinned as she listened. They did have tomorrow.

She fell asleep, a smile on her face, wrapped up in Anna's arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah... *tada*
> 
> 1\. Starting a petition against the English language again. Why are there no good words for the vulva/vagina to be used in writing? I've got two of them there, I want to have a good selection of words to work with.
> 
> 2\. Pole time: the next chapter, as it currently stands, if fluff. Complete awkward fluff. It's also not essential to the story. Do people want the fluff, or do you want me to get on with the story (it's likely I would write the fluff after the story is complete as a one shot or something, along with other deleted scenes). Let me know in the comments!
> 
> ~Capt. Elfy


	18. Chapter 18

**So the overwhelming majority voted for fluff. Like, over a hundred to two. A couple also asked for smut (greedy) and I, for some reason, obliged. That being said, DONT READ IT ON THE BUS. I MEAN IT. I'M TALKING TO YOU PEOPLE WHO IGNORED ME LAST TIME.**

**Anyway, have fun. ;)**

* * *

An incessant buzzing pulled Anna out of a comfortable sleep. She cracked one eye open, looking for the source of the annoyance.

 _Bedside table..._  she blinked at it. From the light streaming through the window, she could see her jeans draped over the bedside lamp. They were buzzing.

 _Phone_. She looked at her other side. Messy blond hair and a bare back. Clearly still asleep. She shuffled gently away from Elsa, trying not to jostle her and grabbed the jeans, pulling out her iPhone.

She had seven text messages. The latest simply read ' _Annie. Call me!'_

Anna sat bolt upright in bed. Elsa gave a little grunt of discontent at the disruption. Anna ignored this and punched in her mom's number, fingers trembling. A million scenarios of what could have gone wrong were rolling through her head...

"Hello?"

"Mom?! What's wrong?!"

"Oh, nothing, honey!" her mom, Idunn, laughed into the phone. "You just haven't called me in forever, you know?"

Anna groaned and flopped back onto the bed. Elsa was rubbing her eyes and yawning. "I told you this before – if you text 'call me' without an explanation it means that a velociraptor has escaped into your house or other similar emergencies."

"But you never call me anymore! How else am I supposed to talk to my daughter?"

Various swear words ran through her head. She took a deep breath. "I've just been really busy with work..."

"Anna?" Elsa asked sleepily, lifting up on one shoulder. "Who is it?"

"It's just my mom..." she whispered, putting her hand over the phone to block out her voice.

"Who's that?" her mom piped up in her ear. "Anna, have you got a lover? I thought you were busy with work. Are you being safe? Why haven't I heard about them..."

"You have... heard about her..." It was true. The last time she'd talked with her mom, she'd told her about her new boss and how Elsa seemed to hate her... Elsa was still looking at her, only hearing her side of the conversation. Anna blushed.

"Really, what's her name? Is she beautiful?"

"Gorgeous," she assured, smiling down at Elsa. She brushed a strand of hair out of her face.  _Breathtaking._ "And... her name's Elsa."

"Your boss-lady?!" Anna pulled the phone away from her ear as her mother shouted in surprise, then started laughing hysterically. Anna looked at Elsa. There was no way she hadn't heard that. She looked a bit shocked.

" _Sorry_ ," she mouthed, then rolled her eyes to show how not in control of her mother she was.

Meanwhile, Idunn was still laughing. "Okay," she said, gasping into the phone. "I take it you figured out the whole 'she's a bitch' problem."

"I never said that!"

"That was defensive. Are you in love with her?"

"Mom..."

"Oh, you so are!" Anna closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose as her mother collapsed in laughter again. "Let me talk to her! I want to talk to her."

Anna suppressed a groan. "No. I'm not letting you traumatize my new girlfriend this early in the morning."

"It's the middle of the afternoon."

"If you say so," Anna said. She glanced at the clock – 2:36.  _Fair enough_. "I'm still not letting you talk to her right now."

"Fine. But you have to bring her to dinner. Tonight."

"Mom..." she sighed. Elsa sat up in bed, stretching.

And  _damn_. She was still naked. Stretching. And Anna was naked. She needed to get off the phone with her mom before her mind started going places.

"Fine," she said quickly. "If we must."

"Excellent. I'll see you at six." She didn't even wait for an answer before she hung up. Anna groaned, slumping back into the pillow and dropping the phone onto the bedside table.

"What was that about?" Elsa asked, raising an eyebrow.

"My mother wants to meet you."

Elsa's face froze. Anna could actually see her pupils dilate. "Don't worry," Anna assured with a sigh. "She'll love you."

It was true. Idunn would love Elsa. She would love how beautiful she is and how polite. She would be able to see how very much Anna was in love with her and that would only endear her even more.

She would also love how very much she would be able to embarrass Anna with stories and just... being her mother. She turned on her side to face Elsa and reached out an arm. "She made me agree to bring you over for dinner."

Elsa took a slow breath in then released it. "Alright, then."

She scooted closer so she could snuggle up close to Anna. Anna nuzzled her face into her neck. She loved the feeling of Elsa's skin next to hers.

It didn't surprise her how completely and quickly she had fallen in love with Elsa. She was pretty quick to do so on normal occasions and had gotten into trouble because of it. But even then, Elsa was definitely special. Anna couldn't really put into words why this was so, but it was as true as steel.

"This is lovely," she said quietly into Elsa's ear. "Waking up next to you."

"Mmmm," Elsa agreed. She wrapped her arms around Anna's waist.

Anna nuzzled Elsa's neck some more, rubbing her nose then her lips onto the warm skin.

"I love you," she said, treasuring the words on her lips.

She could feel Elsa stiffen slightly at the words. Could feel all the hesitation and anxiety in her body. Elsa drew back and Anna's stomach flopped around nervously. She didn't want to make Elsa anxious, but she also couldn't change how she felt. Elsa searched her eyes and she tried to silently tell her that it was alright. That she wasn't expecting Elsa to be nearly as insane as she was. She was worried that Elsa was going to pull away further.

Instead, Elsa put her hand to Anna's face, drawing her in for a kiss. Anna kissed her back, stomach still fluttering. Elsa tightened the arm around her waist, pulling her in closer. It was somewhat desperate, like she was trying to tell Anna something, let her know how she felt. And it felt like she was falling, hard and fast. Like she wanted nothing more than her. The thought made Anna smile.

Anna's hand drifted to her hip, tracing circles on her bare skin.

"We've got a few hours," she said in a low voice when they broke apart for air. Elsa smiled, biting her bottom lip.

"We do," she said. She looked up at Anna. Her eyes were tender and loving, but also lustful. It sent a shiver down Anna's spine.

 _She's too perfect for me_.

Elsa looked away, a blush forming on her cheek. "I think we said it would be my turn, didn't we?" She traced her own circles on Anna's skin. Anna kissed her temple, her heart beating faster.

"We did, didn't we?" she said.

She would have been happy to be the giver for the rest of her life, just to watch Elsa's face as she came. The memory of the night before was intoxicating. The thought of Elsa touching her – exploring her body in her shy and lovingly careful way was overwhelming.

Elsa pushed herself up, pulling back the covers so they were both bare next to each other. She ran her fingers over the skin of Anna's stomach, her nails lightly tracing out an invisible sketch. Anna suppressed a giggle from the touch. She was ticklish, but she didn't want to ruin the moment by squirming. Elsa's face was rapturous as she looked at Anna.

"I'm not sure..." Elsa said, then stopped, her face flushing deeper. Her hands were resting on Anna's hips. Her eyes were flickering between Anna's face and her thighs.

Anna considered that statement, or that partial statement, for a moment. She would have to guide Elsa through this. The idea was somehow romantic, and a turn on.

"Explore," she suggested. "I'll tell you if something feels good."

Elsa let out a small puff of air. Eyes never leaving Anna's she bent down and kissed just above Anna's stomach. She moved along Anna's stomach, planting gentle kisses, tracing lines along her hips with her mouth. Her hand came up and she brushed the curls between Anna's thighs softly, sending a wonderful shiver through her. Anna settled back, spreading her legs, inviting Elsa to explore her centre.

Elsa had a look of total concentration on her face as she inspected Anna's vulva with her fingers. She stroked over her lips, through the hair. Anna sighed and wriggled a bit under her touch. Soft, but oh so sweet and gentle. Timid but loving.

She parted Anna's lips with her fingers, dipping into the slick wetness that had already begun. She slid her fingers up and down, brushing over Anna's hood. Anna let out a soft moan at the touch. Elsa smiled and did it a few more times.

Still with that look of concentration, Anna saw Elsa lick her lips, apparently unconsciously. Her fingers stopped and she looked up at Anna, her eyes burning. It made Anna catch her breath.

"You know... I've read a lot of romance novels," Elsa said. "And... I always was sort of interested in the idea of... well... oral."

She was blushing sweetly, biting her lip again as she peered up at Anna.

Anna grinned. This was turning into a great day. "I'll be happy to show you how it works," she suggested. Elsa smirked. Her fingers pressed up against Anna's clit again, doing slow circled that had Anna wriggling her hips.

"It's still my turn," she reminded Anna. "Though I will definitely take you up on that later. I was just thinking... I'd like to try it. On you."

 _Best. Day. Ever_. "I have no objections," she said, raising an eyebrow. She leaned scooched down so she was laying on her back. She reached behind and grabbed a pillow. "Put this under my hips," she instructed, passing it to Elsa.

She lifted her hips as Elsa complied. With once glance back at Anna she moved so she was on her knees. "Any tips?" she asked. Anna could feel her breath on her stomach and she shivered.

She forced herself to think about the question, fighting through the cloud of arousal. Elsa still had her hand on her clit, doing those slow circled and making her wetter by the second. It was tempting to just say 'do whatever you like' but she knew her lover was anxious. "Flat tongue," she said.

Elsa withdrew her hand and shuffled around. Anna reached down and parted her own lips for Elsa. Elsa leant in – Anna could feel her breath, the air sending a chill against the slick wet.

She heard Elsa take a steadying breath before she started, making a long stroke with her tongue along Anna's slit. It was a little bit hard, but Anna really didn't care.

She gasped loudly when the tongue meet her clit. Elsa kissed the spot, sending another delightful jolt through her body.

"How does it taste?" she asked, wanting to know Elsa's reaction. She looked down to watch Elsa run her tongue up her slit again, eyes closed.

"Like heaven," she said, pulling back slightly. There was the glisten of wetness on her lips.

She returned to her work, exploring the folds with her mouth, licking and kissing and occasionally returning to the Anna's clitoris, earning a gasp or moan from Anna every time. It was teasing and gentle. It was driving Anna wild.

Anna pressed her hips upward when Elsa returned to her clit again. She was too far gone to give instructions, but she wanted Elsa  _there_. Elsa made a surprised noise, then shifted higher.

She pressed her tongue to Anna's clit. She started with a slow movement up and down, slowly getting faster. Anna could feel her tongue brush against the fingers she was using to hold herself open for Elsa with every upward stroke. She closed her eyes. Pressure was building inside of her already.

"Don't stop," she instructed, the words hard to get out. She lifted a leg to wrap around Elsa's back, the other pushing against the bed to bring her hips higher, wanting to get as close to that heavenly mouth as she could.

Elsa wrapped an arm around the hip of her lifted leg, holding her up as she continued to move her tongue in a steady rhythm.

_So close... so close..._

"Fingers... inside..." Anna gasped, trying to instruct but too far gone to speak properly. Elsa was a good student, though. She took her free hand and pushed two fingers inside of Anna. Her tongue didn't miss a motion.

Anna couldn't help the moans and little cries that escaped her, nor did she want to. She had the hands of the most beautiful woman in the world on her and in her. Elsa's fingers curled, pressing against her g-spot, tipping her over the edge of pure pleasure to orgasm.

"Elsa!" she cried out. Elsa didn't stop the motion of her tongue as Anna writhed and clenched around her fingers, riding out the orgasm.

It faded and she slumped back. She released her hand, tangling it in Elsa's hair, pulling her up to meet her lips.

_Fuck. That was awesome._

She could taste herself on Elsa's lips. She made a business of kissing her thoroughly while the lovely glow of post-orgasm settled over her.

"I take it I did a good job?" Elsa asked with a small laugh when Anna finally released her for air.

"Are you sure you haven't secretly been a lesbian for a long time? Because that was a professional level lesbian orgasm."

Elsa laughed again, a blush creeping back into her cheeks. Anna had to kiss her again, just for that reaction.

"Now, if you don't mind," she said, picking up the discarded pillow. "I have every intention of returning the favour."

* * *

They had lost track of time, what with one thing or another. Elsa hadn't thought it was possible to get so wrapped up in one person, but they had somehow used up all their time until it was quarter to four and Anna remembered about dinner.

They had ended up taking a hurried shower together, which was a disappointment, Elsa thought. She would have to revisit the idea of co-showering sometime in the near future. Then Anna had realised she didn't have clean clothes, and her previous night's clothes smelled like piña coladas and karaoke.

When Elsa had asked what, exactly, karaoke smelt like Anna had merely gotten agitated. Now she was sitting next to Elsa in the passenger's seat, fidgeting with the skirt Elsa had lent her and biting her bottom lip.

"Where's the turn?" Elsa asked.

"What?" Anna said. She looked around like she had no idea where she was for a moment. "Oh, two more blocks, on the right."

She was the one who had said not to worry, but she was clearly concerned about seeing her mom. Which was confusing because what little Elsa knew of the woman, she and Anna had a great relationship. She took the turn and drove down the street.

"Here," was all Anna said when they had gone halfway down the short, quiet street.

The house Elsa pulled up to was a single storey covered in light blue siding, with white framing on the windows and door. The paint was chipped in spots to show the wood underneath. It had a chest-high wooden fence over most of the front yard – the area outside the fence was all garden, with a few crocuses and yellow daffodils poking their way up through the dead leaves of last year's plants.

"So... I don't want to scare you," Anna said, tucking her bangs behind her ear nervously, "but my mother can be a little inappropriate. And loud. Very loud... she's also stubborn at times and-"

"Anna, I'm sure I'll love her," Elsa said. She reached over and brushed the bangs loose with her fingers. "After all, she raised you, didn't she?"

They got out of the car and Anna rushed around to take Elsa's hand. She led the way to the gate and reached through the slats to unlatch it with one hand, clearly a practiced gesture.

Elsa didn't have long to wonder why there was such a large fence for the yard. There was a bear charging at her. Elsa yelped, throwing her hands up over her face.

"Mookie!" Anna shouted with delight. The bear changed course and leapt at Anna instead. Elsa reached out, trying to pull Anna out of the way and save her from the monster, but Anna had crouched down with her arms outstretched.

Anna caught the bear and toppled, laughing as it covered her face with a giant tongue.

"Puppy!" Anna squealed happily as 'Mookie', for all appearances, ate her alive. "did'ya miss me? Did'ya? Did'ya?"

It barked happily, and began to bounce around them. Elsa stood still, afraid of being toppled by the enormous animal.

How could a dog get so  _big_? Was Anna's mother some sort of crazy scientist who experimented on animals?

"Elsa?" Anna asked. Elsa moved her head a fraction of an inch to look at Anna, still terrified of Mookie. She was biting back a smile. "Not a dog person?" she said.

"He's very big."

Anna laughed. "Mookie, sit!" she commanded. The dog stopped mid-bounce and folded up into a sit. His head came up past Elsa's waist. Anna pat his head, ruffling his ears playfully while he panted. "See, he's just a big suck. Give him a pat."

Elsa really wasn't much of an animal person, ever, but she'd probably do anything if Anna asked her with that look on her face. She reached out and timidly scratched the dog's head. His black fur was soft beneath her fingers. Mookie looked at her and continued to pant.

"Annie!" The door of the house was thrown open and a slender brown-haired woman tore down the stairs, enveloping Anna in a hug. Mookie bounded to his feet and began barking again, running circles.

Anna was too busy hugging her mom to notice. Elsa stared in terror at the dog then, trying to imitate Anna's voice exactly said, "Mookie, sit!"

The dog obeyed. Anna and her mother turned to look at her. Elsa let out a sigh of relief and gave Anna a small grin.

"So," Anna's mother said, releasing Anna from the hug. "Introduce me to the gorgeous lady."

Elsa blushed. Anna tucked her hair back behind her ear. "Mom, this is Elsa Arendelle. My... uh, well, girlfriend, but also my boss. But mostly my girlfriend. Elsa, Idunn Summers."

Elsa reached out a hand for a handshake. Idunn ignored it and swept her up in a hug. Her arms were pinned to her sides. It felt like her ribs were going to be crushed. "Lovely to meet you, dear!" Idunn said when she finally released her. "Let's go inside."

Idunn marched back toward the step. Elsa stood frozen on the spot, overwhelmed by the welcome. Anna, with a little smile, took Elsa's hand and pulled her along.

"So, judging by the fact that you're wearing her clothes," Idunn said, jerking a thumb over her shoulder at Elsa, "I'd say the relationship is going well?"

Anna turned pink, her grip tightening on Elsa's hand. "I could have bought new clothes, Mom. I haven't seen you in over a month. Buying clothes happens."

Idunn turned around in the entrance hall, taking off her shoes with raised eyebrows.

"I'm trying a new look," Anna protested.

"Mmhmm. Right. The look of 'wearing my girlfriend's clothes'"

"Shut up, mom."

Elsa felt a surge of surprise run through her. Anna just told her mother to shut up – and Idunn only laughed and hugged her again. Anna was grinning, giving her mom a squeeze around the waist before they followed her into the living room.

This was a relationship in which she doesn't understand the rules. With her father, it was always be polite and perfect. Act like the heir of a major corporation. No time for jokes. No time for hugs.

And, as Idunn pushed them onto a loveseat beside each other, making another jibe at Anna's borrowed clothes, Elsa felt her face grow warm.

Idunn  _knew_. She  _knew_  that they had been... together. Probably guessed that they had done so that morning (more than once).

Elsa had had her face in Anna's crotch only a few hours ago and now she was talking to her mother. She pushed herself into the arm of the loveseat, trying to pull herself away from Anna. Why had she put Elsa on the couch with Anna? How could she just have that knowledge in her head and be going on about how they were having roast beef and potatoes for supper.

"So, what did my daughter do to catch such a gorgeous woman?"

It took Elsa a moment to realise that Idunn was talking to her, pulling her out of her uncomfortable thoughts.

... _crap, what do I say?_  It was a long story, and she wasn't about to tell Idunn about the pantie flashing. "She camped outside my door in a sleeping bag."

Idunn laughed boisterously. "Sounds like my daughter!"

"It's a bit more complicated than that," Anna muttered, pouting.

"Only because I made it that way," Elsa pointed out. She didn't want Idunn to think Anna had been the one at fault on the rocky path or their relationship. Idunn grinned.

"Oh, I like her so much better than your last one. What was his name?"

"Mother..." Anna said through gritted teeth.

"No, that wasn't it." Idunn tapped her chin. "Justin? Jason?"

"I don't want to talk about this..."

"Something with a J." Idunn stood and wandered toward the kitchen. "Anyway, you're a much better catch, Elsa. Wine?"

With her mother off in the kitchen, Anna leant against Elsa. She reached over and took her hand, beginning tracing circled on her hand. Elsa firmly took control of her thoughts about other places those hands had made circles. Idunn returned, placing two glasses of wine on the coffee table before sitting down in the arm chair and surveyed Elsa closely. She fidgeted, unsure of what Idunn might want to ask her.

"So are you exclusively a taco lover or do you go for the hotdog as well?" Idunn asked finally. She took a long sip of wine.

Elsa stared in confusion – hadn't Idunn just said they were having roast beef? Anna groaned. She dropped Elsa's hand to cover her face.

"It's a fair question!" Idunn said, only further confusing Elsa. Anna groaned again and slumped off the couch, falling prone on the floor. Mookie came over from his spot on the rug and sniffed at Anna's hand. She twitched.

"Kill me, Mookie. Make it quick, I've suffered enough." Mookie licked her hand.

"Excuse me," Elsa said. "I think I've missed something."

Anna lifted her head and stared in disbelief. Idunn actually reeled back, raising an eyebrow.

"Wow, you really were sheltered," Anna muttered, not unkindly.

Idunn, recovering from her momentary shock, grinned. "Well, you see, when I say-"

"It's tacos, mom!" Anna jumped to her feet and threw herself at Idunn, pulling on her arm. "Just tacos. Shouldn't you be in the kitchen? I think I smell something burning."

"Annie, is that really necessary?"

"Yes, mother. Yes it is."

"Fine, fine. I'm going to check." Idunn swatted Anna's arm away and sauntered off to the kitchen, a grin on her face. Anna, completely red, flopped back down on the couch. Elsa supressed a laugh.

"So what was she asking?" she asked.

"Just think about it for a moment," Anna said, staring at the ceiling.

 _Taco's and hotdogs. Probably something sexual. The answer is tacos_...

"Oh." She grabbed her wine glass and took a gulp, trying to mask her embarrassment.

"Oh my god... Elsa, this is so awful. I'm so sorry about her. I tried teaching her manners while I was growing up but-"

Lowering the glass, Elsa laughed. So Idunn was embarrassing and blunt. It was strangely refreshing. She and Anna were more like old friends rather than mother and daughter. She couldn't imagine ever having such a relationship, especially not with her father. She was envious, actually.

She reached over and gave Anna's hand a squeeze. "Can your mom be my mom? Seriously. I love her."

Anna squeezed back, giving a weak laugh. "Okay, we'll just adopt you."

"Or you two could get married!" Idunn shouted from the kitchen. Anna slumped over and pressed her face into Elsa's legs, groaning loudly.

* * *

"So..." Elsa said. Dinner was behind them. Idunn had told her every story she could think of about child-Anna, from the time she had called the police to find her (only to discover that she was in the closet, looking for Narnia) to stories of high-school girlfriends and boyfriends (apparently Anna had once been obsessed with dating musicians and had planned on being a band groupie). Every story made Anna flush and make some dramatic comments about her imminent death by embarrassment.

It was lovely. Elsa stopped worrying about the possibility of Idunn throwing them out because she had inappropriately manhandled Anna. She stared at her second glass of wine, a question that she wanted to ask pressing against her. Idunn had just finished a story about how Anna had planned her wedding at the age of six, down to the dress and type of flowers.

"Ms. Summers," she said. Idunn rolled her eyes. She had firmly told Elsa to call her Idunn, but it was difficult for her to do. "How did you react? When Anna told you she was bi?"

Idunn grinned. Anna covered her head again, putting her head against the table. "I threw her a party."

"It was the most embarrassing moment of my life."

"Don't be silly, darling, I've done a million more embarrassing things than that."

"You invited the girl I had a crush on. You told her I liked her."

"Well, you weren't ever going to!"

Elsa laughed at the banter. Anna turned her head to the side to look at Elsa. She looked up, her hands beseeching the heavens to smite her.

"How were you just..." Elsa looked at her hands, the question she really wanted to ask stuck in her throat.

"How was I okay with it?" Idunn asked. Elsa nodded. Idunn reached over and squished Anna's cheeks, making her lips pucker, "because she's my wittle baby."

Anna swatted her away, laughing. Released, she leaned back and took Elsa's hand on the table, giving it a squeeze.

The interaction did not go unnoticed by Idunn. She looked between the two of them, her look calculating.

"You only recently come out?" she asked. Elsa blushed, but looked back at Idunn.

"Not even really out..." she said.

"I kind of dragged her out of the closet kicking and screaming," Anna said.

Idunn smirked. "That's my daughter," she said. Her tone made it was hard to tell if it was a good or bad thing.

"I'm going to give you some advice, Elsa," Idunn said.

"Which you are free to ignore," Anna added.

"When I was younger, I was quiet and proper – stop laughing Anna, I was – and all it did was make me unhappy. If you want to be happy, be who you are. Be it all the time, and be it loudly, because as it's said 'those who matter don't mind, and those who mind don't matter.'"

Anna gave Elsa's hand another squeeze.

 _If only it was that simple_.

Idunn stood and streched. "It makes things less complicated. Who wants pie?"

* * *

**Woo! Back to the plot next chapter. Or, sort of. As much plot as I ever have with this story. *shrug***

**Also, for the person I said could hit me over the 'c'est ma blonde' thing, I will put it in next chapter.**

***hugs you awesome people to death***

**-Capt. Elfy**


	19. Chapter 19

"Anna..." Elsa prodded Anna's back. Anna slept like the dead, which was impressive because of how loudly she was snoring. It was like a construction crew had invaded Elsa's bedroom and was set to making the CN tower.

There was no response to her prodding except a snort. Elsa gave a harder shove, pushing Anna onto her side. "Anna!"

Anna turned over suddenly, hitting Elsa in the mouth with her elbow.

"Ouch!" Anna shouted while Elsa yelped at the sudden pain. "My elbow!"

The whack had made Elsa's head vibrate and her bottom lip shoot with pain. She covered her mouth with her hands, whimpering.

_Everyone warns about STI when you sleep with someone, not about potential battle wounds._

"I think my mouth got the worse deal," she whined. Was she bleeding? She tasted the inside of her lip where it had been smashed against her teeth. No blood. That was good. She didn't want to explain a bloody lip at work. She wasn't sure what would be worse, telling people that her girlfriend could sleep through an earthquake and waking her up was like poking an uncoordinated cobra, or just lying and saying she had gotten in a fistfight with some bikers over territory.

Anna sat up, still groggy and cradling the offending elbow. Elsa scootched back, wary of further unexpected strikes. Anna blinked at Elsa a few times before seeming to realise what had happened.

"Sorry," she said meekly. She reached out to touch Elsa's chin, the sheet falling off of her. She turned Elsa's face so she could inspect the damage. "I don't think you'll have a bruise."

"It still hurts," Elsa said, petulant, though the pain was already fading. She was being distracted by Anna. They hadn't bothered with pajamas the night before.

Anna smirked and lent over, planting a gentle kiss on the spot. "There," she said. She kept her face close to Elsa's, her hair falling like a curtain around them both. "I kissed it better."

"Still hurts." Not really, but Elsa didn't care as Anna kissed her again. And again. She moved her lips all over Elsa's face, planting kisses on her nose and cheeks and brow, moving down to her neck and that little spot behind Elsa's ear.

She was already responding to the touches, heat growing between her legs and the desire to pull Anna up against her bare skin. She gave a shivering gasp when Anna gently nipped the spot, turning her head and...

Seeing the clock.

"No... wait. We need to get to work," Elsa protested. Dammit. Work. Why did it have to keep happening? She had just spent another wonderful weekend with Anna and now she had to put on clothes.

Anna buried her face in Elsa's neck, her voice coming out muffled as she said, "I could change the schedule. Take out the meeting with foreign manager and replace it with 'have hot sex with Anna'." Elsa laughed, but it came out breathy.

 _Really tempting_.

Anna had scheduled that meeting with a pompous, insufferable business partner from Germany. It was  _technically_ something she could delegate, but Anna had insisted that the more she did personally, the better her image would be.

Anna snuggled closer, throwing a bare leg over Elsa's equally naked hip and running her fingers up and down her sides.

Elsa's hands moved to Anna's breast, almost like she had no control over them. Stroking over the nipple and cupping them. They fit her hands wonderfully. Touching Anna was almost enough to make her forget that there was a meeting with the board in the afternoon...

 _Shit_.

She groaned and gently pushed Anna back. "We have that board meeting this afternoon," she said. She might as well have a meeting with a guillotine for all she was looking forward to it. "You said yourself that this meeting would make for a good report."

Anna grimaced, but pulled back, withdrawing the straddling leg. "Fine." She said. "I'll get out of bed. But only for you."

Anna rolled out of bed, nearly pulling the covers with her. It had been two weeks since the first time, and Elsa was still not over the sight of Anna naked. Her hips swayed gently as she walked to the other side of the room. Elsa sat up a little to appreciate her naked rear as Anna bent over to search for clean underwear.

There was now a bag of her stuff and a number of hangers with blouses and dresses in front of Elsa's closet that Anna had brought over – after the visit with her mother, Anna was taking no chances by wearing Elsa's clothes out of the house.

Anna had a pair of panties in one hand – wonder woman again - when she pulled out her phone her phone. She looked at it for a minute, the screen casting a dim glow on her face in the low light of the curtained room.

"What the fuckery?" Anna yelped loudly, jolting Elsa out of her lustful stupor.

"Huh?" she asked stupidly.

"There's an email from Mr. Hargreaves, asking for confirmation of your attendance at the board meeting this morning?"

"You mean this afternoon?" Elsa asked. Panic flared within her gut. She knew it was scheduled for the afternoon. She had checked at least three times yesterday. Anna flicked through the phone as she stood, muttering as she went through her email.

"Oh... dammit..." she swore. She turned the phone around so Elsa could see. There was another email from Hargreaves, stating a change in the meeting at the board office to 8:45am. Elsa looked at the clock. Eight AM.

"Oh my god, Elsa, I'm so sorry. I didn't check my email all weekend – this is from Friday, too. I should have checked it. I'm so stupid sometimes. But I was just so caught up in us that I didn't think about work all weekend."

Elsa was frozen on the spot with fear, her mind running blank from sheer terror as Anna prattled.

"He's making snide remarks about how you missed the last meeting... sounds like a last minute decision to change it around. Come on Anna, think think think. Okay. I can go to the meeting with the bigwig. You can't miss the board meeting, not again. I'll tell them that you send regrets, but are ill, and then charm them so they don't get upset. You go rock the board meeting and we'll meet up for lunch."

The plan was only somewhat reassuring. She had been counting on lunch to review her notes with Anna. "They want me to show I'm a good CEO right? Why are they actively sabotaging me?"

"They're not sabotaging you, these things happen," Anna replied, her voice placating. She climbed halfway onto the bed, cupping Elsa's cheek to give her another sweet kiss. "You'll do fine. Now, I suggest we make use of that fabulous shower of yours to get ready for the day."

Elsa smiled and slipped out of bed, following Anna to the bathroom. She could do this. She could get through the meeting, even if it was at a different time. As long as she had Anna -

As Anna turned on the water, spraying them both with the first chilly blast, Elsa's jaw dropped.

"What?" Anna asked.

"You won't be at the meeting with me?" She couldn't keep the despair from her voice. There was no way she was going to survive this.

* * *

 _I cannot do this._ Her fingers slipped on the keys of the OlafBerry under the table as she sent the text. She was sitting in the meeting. Hargreaves, as chair, was giving a speech. He was long winded as always, talking about the kind of commitment that the company needed from her. He wasn't saying anything new, but Elsa knew that once he finished she would have to give her response. Anna had gone over the notes with her during breakfast before running off to the hotel. She knew exactly what she had to say.

But everyone in the room was stony faced and uninviting. Her hands were sweating and she was tense through her entire body from nerves. She couldn't do this without Anna there. She couldn't.

Anna's reply was near instantaneous. She must have been holding onto her phone, as if waiting for Elsa to text her.

_Just picture me nekkid. ;P_

Elsa nearly dropped her phone. She grabbed it and gave a quick look around as if someone could know what Anna had just written. No one was even looking at her.

 _have to make speech soon_. She texted back, hoping for some more helpful advice.

_Just read your notes and imagine the reward you'll be getting when I get back there._

_Reward?_

_I'll take you in my arms, pull you right up next to me. Kiss that one spot behind your ear..._

Dot dot dot? Really? Elsa felt her face grow warm. She gave another quick glance around the room, fidgeting with her tie. Why had she worn a tie? It was very, very hot right now. Damn it.

Still no one had noticed that her attention wasn't on Hargreaves. She suspected that they were all spaced out by now. How could one man talk so much? She looked back down at her lap and typed in another message.

_That spot is *not* fair._

_Oh? Do you want to know mine... ;)_

Heat flushed through her whole body now. She was torn between wanting to be responsible and at least pretending she was paying attention and wanting to know...

_I'm in a meeting, dork._

_So am I. ;)_

Dammit, she could picture that smilie as Anna's own lewd wink. How did she even do that? Anna's winks were so alluring that Elsa had tried doing it herself once in the mirror. It had looked like she had smelled something horrid with only half of her face.

Elsa's nerves about the meeting seemed to be making her even more aroused by the flirtatious texts. Was that normal?

She'd hesitated too long. Her phone vibrated in her hand.

_Let me guess, Hargreaves is still nattering about nothing?_

She turned her attention to him for a moment, letting his nasal voice permeate her consciousness. "...long standing traditions of quality and service..."

...  _yes._

_So?_

_... Fine. Tell me._

_You remember when you did my hair for Weselton's party..._

Elsa always had a vivid imagination when she was nervous – usually directed towards imagining accidents and catastrophes that she could achieve. Now Anna's texts were making said imagination conjure the image of her hands through her fiery hair, tugging at the roots while she kissed her. Pressed up against her. Imagining where Anna would put her hands and her mouth, the sounds Anna would make - that she would make. The taste of Anna. The desire to be with her at that moment was like a physical need. Air, water, food, sleep, Anna; all the things she needed to survive. She bit her lip. Why wasn't he done talking yet?

She gave a furtive glance around the room. Hans had noticed her inattention and gave her a wry smile. She blushed further and slid the phone into her pocket before sitting up straight, folding her hands on the table and turning her attention back to the front of the room. Trying to pretend that she hadn't just been imagining horribly inappropriate things.

Less than a minute later, Hargreaves finished. As she stood up to speak, Elsa realised with an inward smile that Anna had done her job yet again – distracted her from her nerves. And pleasantly, too. She clutched the tablet tightly to prevent her fingers from shaking and began to give her speech.

"I'd first like to apologize for my absence from the last meeting. As I wrote in my letter of apology, I was taken suddenly ill and I hope you understand that it is not indicative of my commitment to Arendelle Corp."

Her voice was clear. She was speaking faster than she might normally have done – she'd have to work on that with Anna. But it was getting easier, talking to people like this. She was even looking around the room as she spoke – another suggestion of Anna's – meeting people's eyes briefly before moving on.

She told them what she should have said in the last meeting – her commitment to the company, listing the projects that she had spearheaded in her short time in the position, the initiation of the very merger that was making them question her position, her history with it. She acknowledged her faults – she had all been up for saying outright 'I've been a bitch. Sorry,' but Anna had rephrased it, using words such as 'reserved' and 'overly professional'. She outlined the steps she was taking to improve on these shortcomings.

Said out loud, it was very humbling. But the faces of the board members were not unkind, and there were nods of approval.

When she was finished, she was trembling all over, but she had done it. She had said her bit, and she hadn't even stumbled over her words. As Mr. Hargreaves took the floor again, she slipped her phone out of her pocket.

 _I did it. :)_ she sent to Anna.

"There is an open stakeholder meeting in one week's time," Mr. Hargreaves was saying to the room, "it is at this time that the stakeholders will be able to voice concerns and offer opinions on the suitability of Ms. Arendelle for continuing the roll of CEO. After that, the board will come to a decision prior to the merger with Weselton."

The meeting closed and Elsa shook hands and said goodbye to every person. When the door closed behind them she let out a breath and checked her phone.

_Pick up something for lunch and I'll meet you in the office. You've earned your reward. ;)_

* * *

It wasn't running, but her legs were moving her fast enough that people were giving Elsa odd looks as she clutched her grocery store bag of sushi and beelined for the elevator, her mind 100% on Anna, who had texted that she was back from her meeting. She had one or two things to say to her about propriety. And possible a spanking.

"Elsa!" She looked over her shoulder, surprised to see Kai waving at her and heading in her direction. She stopped and waved back, trying to conceal that she had just been thinking about spanking her PA.

"Kai, how are you?" she asked. She felt awkward, like she was a teenager again. Kai had been like an uncle to her, but she hadn't talked to him since she'd tried to get Anna moved out of her office. She blushed thinking about that.

"I'm very good. I haven't caught you in a while - how are you?"

The question seemed rather pointed and she frowned slightly. "I'm good. On my way to lunch."

He glanced at the bag. It was see-through and he could clearly see the two bento boxes it contained. "I take it you and Ms. Summers are getting on better?" he asked.

"Oh... yes. Much." She was definitely blushing now and there was no way Kai wouldn't notice. As her father's closest friend, she really did not want him to find out about her and Anna. It would be like holding a séance and telling her father directly. Actually no, that was infinitely worse. He would probably start haunting her bedroom. And bathroom. And kitchen table, and living room couch and… Bad thought. Where was a dirty text from Anna to distract her when she needed one?

"I've heard you've been... doing really well." She noted the pause. What was he going to say originally?  _Heard you've been less bitchy?_ Probably not, but something similar.

"Oh," she said again, rather unintelligently.

"You're holding a company barbeque next weekend," he said. It was a statement, but there was a question behind it:  _Have you been replaced by a doppelganger?_

"Fostering company spirit," she explained. Damn, that sounded pathetic.

"Quite a leap forward for you."  _Are you on drugs?_

"I've been making efforts to improve company moral."

Kai's look was expectant. He  _knew_  something was up. Knew something – something big – had changed. And he wanted her to tell him.

"I need to get to lunch," she said hurriedly. "An – Ms. Summers – ah, I'm bringing her lunch. She'll be hungry."

 _Too much, too much_. She gave a quick smile and turned back toward the elevator.

"Elsa -" She glanced back as she pressed the button. Kai was watching her with a confused, but happy expression. "Whatever's gotten to you... I'm glad. I haven't seen you this happy since you were little."

"... thanks, Kai."

* * *

"I can't believe it really. You must have really done wonders on her."

"We're a good pair. She keeps me grounded and I get her out of her comfort zone."  _Way out_. But she wasn't going to describe the details of that to Hans.

She'd tried to mask her disappointment that, when she come back to the office, it was Hans and not Elsa waiting for her. Maybe the texting had been a bad idea. Or a really good one. But all she wanted was for Elsa to get here and for Hans to leave. She checked her phone again. She had texted two minutes ago that she was downstairs. What was taking so long?

Hans, of course, noticed her distraction. "So besides for business, I take it other... things... are going well?"

She stuck out her tongue at the smug look on his face. "And what if they are?"

"Then I offer my most suggestive of eyebrow wiggles and my sincerest congratulations."

"Congratulations on what?"

Gosh, it was like the sun coming out, seeing Elsa walk into the room with that bag of sushi. Her eyes were flicking from Hans to Anna, clearly surprised by his presence.

Hans reached out a hand, "Congratulations on the excellent speech you gave this morning. It would take something drastic to stop you from keeping your position now."

Elsa took his hand in a firm grip.  _Oh, she's so cute_ , Anna thought at the pleased but awkward smile on Elsa's face.

"I really have to go, I bet Crispy hasn't done a bit of work this morning..." Hans waved and sauntered to the door.  _He's got to be messing up Kristoff's name on purpose._  He gave a surreptitious wink that only Anna saw before he shut the door behind him.

The moment it clicked, Elsa crossed her arms and cocked an eyebrow.

"Weren't you supposed to be wooing the Germans for me?" she asked. Anna looked her over quickly and smirked.  _I_ so _got her_.

"Oh, I did," Anna said with an impish smile. She perched on her desk, crossing one leg over the other, she leaned toward Elsa. "But everyone in that room was on their phones half the time, making deals and talking to their stock brokers. I just looked  _really_  studious."

"I bet you did."

It hadn't been easy. She silently thanked her roommate in first year of college, who had taught her poker. "How about you?" she asked. "It wasn't exactly a one sided conversation."

Elsa flushed further. Anna watched her eyes flick up and down, clearly looking from Anna's bare legs – she had gone with a dress that morning – to her hair. Maybe it had been a bit mean, letting it down before Elsa got back, especially after telling her how much she loved having it pulled and played with.

Anna bit her lip, trying for a sultry look. She leaned back, resting on one hand. She lifted the other, cocking a finger at Elsa. "Come here."

And there was the hesitation. Elsa glanced at the door before looking back at Anna. "I don't think that's a good idea."

"I, personally, think it's a great idea."

Elsa took a step forward. She wasn't touching Anna, but she was staring at her lips with a hunger that was completely outside of the realm of sushi.

"Maybe we should save it for... later?" she said pointedly. She had uncrossed her arms, but was now fidgeting with her tie.

Anna reached out, her hand closing around the blue silk. She pulled, and Elsa stepped closer, her body coming to rest against Anna's thighs. Anna lent over and kissed her, still holding the tie.

"I  _can't_  wait until later." Elsa's only response was to reach up and run her fingers through Anna's hair, tugging at the roots, pulling her head back. And Anna was lost to her touch.

* * *

**I baaaack! Didya miss me? I missed you guys. *scoops you up in a big hug***

**Uh, next chapter will have the smut in it. I wasn't going to write it, but the editor is insistent that it's important. I think the great Demon is just a porn monster. *shrug***

**Loooooove youuuuuuuuuuuu**

**-Capt. Elfy**


	20. Chapter 20

**I'd tell you guys to read this one in private, but we all know that's a lost cause.**

* * *

One minute and a lost jacket later, Anna got the best idea of her life.

"Don't you dare -" Elsa growled when she pulled away.

She didn't reply. She bit her lip, grabbing the silk tie again. She took a moment to breath – she was panting heavily already. She always did when her hair got tugged and played with like that. It was taking a lot of self-restraint not to just go at it, but this idea was just too good to pass up for a quick fuck. She slipped off the desk and tugged at Elsa, dragging her along by her tie toward Elsa's office.

"What are you doing?" Elsa asked, her tone amused and aroused all at once.

"You'll see," Anna replied, trying to sound mysterious. She turned to push the office door open with her hip. Elsa's cheeks were flushed pink, her eyes bright. Her neat coiled braids were starting to come undone thanks to Anna.

 _She is a fucking sex goddess_ , Anna thought. She stopped with halfway inside Elsa's office and gave the tie a pull toward her, pulling Elsa into a kiss. She could taste the lipstick and remnants of morning coffee as she pushed her tongue past Elsa's lips. Elsa moaned against her lips, her hands making their way up to Anna's hair.

Anna pulled away again.  _Don't get distracted,_ she reminded herself and continued leading Elsa to the desk. "Are you just going to tease me all day?" Elsa groaned.

"Maybe," Anna said. They had reached their destination.

Elsa's desk was solid oak and the size of a twin bed. Anna made a note of it – could be useful in a bind – but what she was really going for was the chair. The great, high-backed leather chair. The executive, CEO chair. Anna dragged Elsa over to it, moved it back with her foot, and gave pushed Elsa into it. She released the tie, smoothing the crumpled silk back into place before taking a step back. She placed a hand on her hip, thrusting her shoulders back. "Now, Ms. Arendelle – did you require my assistance?"

"What is this – pornography?" Elsa asked, laughing.

Not quite the response she was going for, but then again, Elsa was new at this.

"Just a little role-play," she explained, shaking her hair out behind her. It was threatening to get in her face. "Power is attractive, after all."

"Is it role playing if we're actually in those roles?"

She chuckled – Elsa would figure it out soon enough. She put her hands on either arm rest and climbed onto the chair, straddling Elsa on the seat. Elsa was looking at her bemusedly, clearly not understanding the brilliant potential of Anna's plan. Well, she could fix that.

She tangled her fingers in Elsa's bun, pulling her head back to expose the length of her neck. She ran the tip of her tongue up Elsa's neck, collarbone to ear. "It's whatever you want it to be – ma'am," she whispered, voice husky. Elsa shivered. Anna bit her ear, swirling her tongue around the lobe while she waited for a response.

"Well... Ms. Summers..." Elsa said, every word sounding like an effort. "I've been... having an issue... with... preparing for a presentation."

 _Not bad,_ Anna thought.  _I can work with that._ She sat up, releasing Elsa's hair.

"I think your material is really good," she said, trying to look thoughtful. "But how you deliver it – that's the key."'

"How I deliver it?"

"You need to be more in control, commanding. You need to tell them what to do, be... bossy."

It wasn't her best line, but then again, Anna hadn't become an executive personal assistant with the goal of screwing her boss in the big chair. It was a just a major and unforeseen perk.

Elsa leaned back in her chair, surveying Anna carefully.

"More in control?" she repeated. Anna's breath caught at the look on her face.  _Yesyesyes_. She nodded mutely.

"I should practice," Elsa said. She snaked an arm around Anna's waist, pulling her close to her. "I want you to fuck me... Ms. Summers." Elsa's face had gone from bright pink to deep scarlet at her own words, clearly not believing she had said them. But she was trying to keep her face stern as she looked into Anna's eyes. Elsa released her, pushing her back. "Now, Ms. Summers. I haven't got all day."

Anna bit her lip to keep from giggling. It wouldn't due to laugh at Elsa for finally getting into the game. She turned her gaze to Elsa's waist – she was wearing slacks today, buttoned overtop of her blouse. "Right away, ma-am," she said. She popped the button open and undid the zipper on the slacks, revealing black lace underneath.

 _Those are new,_ she thought. She didn't have time to explore them, however. Her boss had given her an order. She slipped her hand underneath, plunging her fingers into slick wet.

The pants didn't provide much moving room, but Anna was up for a challenge. She pushed her palm against Elsa's mound, her middle and index finger pressed between the folds. She could feel the hard nub beneath them. She flexed and released her hand. Elsa bit her lip.

"Is this to your liking, Ma'am?" Anna asked. Elsa nodded, then took a deep breath as Anna began to flex her hand repeatedly.

"Very good work," Elsa managed to say. She tensed and wriggled under Anna's hand, her fingers gripping tightly at the leather arms of the chair. Anna enjoyed watching her while she worked – Elsa gripped onto anything she could get her hands into like she was going to float away from the pleasure. Still working her hand, Anna leaned forward, planting a light kiss on Elsa's lips.

"Hold onto my hair," she whispered, taking herself out of their roles for a moment. Elsa glanced at her hands, fingernails digging into the expensive leather, then lifted them to Anna's hair.

Anna added a third finger, applying more pressure to Elsa's centre as the finger tangled in her hair. Elsa's grip was strong, pulling at her scalp in a way that made Anna want to scream with delight. She flexed and released, flexed and released her hand moving as fast and as hard as she could. Elsa's body was tense, trembling.

She pulled Anna close to her as her orgasm came. Her fingers curled, gripping hard enough to hurt then suddenly releasing. Both of them were panting. Anna could feel a trickle of sweat make its way down her back. She kissed Elsa's lips before pulling back, withdrawing her hand.

Elsa was all rumpled, her hair no longer resembling the neat coils it had been that morning. She was completely gorgeous. Anna lifted her fingers to her mouth, sucking at the juices that coated them. Elsa watched her, a hungry look in her eyes. She knew Elsa loved the taste of her. Knew she was dying for her turn to pleasure Anna.

Elsa suddenly scooped her arms under Anna's butt, lifting her and pushing her onto the desk. The desk calendar slid back, pushing a stapler and the engraved metal plate that said "Elsa Arendelle, C.E.O." off the desk. The clattered against the floor.

"I like this dress on you, Ms. Summers," Elsa said, running her fingers up Anna's leg, pushing back the hem line to trace over the thighs. "Very – professional."

Anna stifled her giggle. "Really, Ms. Arendelle? I thought it might be a bit revealing for a work environment."

That was true enough. The back scooped low, showing off shoulders and her spine almost all the way down her back. It was only the jacket, discarded in the other room, that made it appropriate. Elsa ran her fingers up Anna's back, following the scoop of the dress before pushing down the shoulder straps. "I think it's perfect for a work environment," Elsa said decisively. She kissed Anna's now bare shoulder. When she pulled back, Anna shivered at the touch of breath. It felt cool against her hot skin.

Elsa worked the dress down, exposing Anna's breasts and stomach. Elsa stared at the bare, erect nipples. "The dress has padding," Anna explained. "It doesn't need a bra."

Elsa leaned over and kissed each breast in turn. "I really like this dress," she murmured. She pushed Anna down on the desk, her hand firm. Anna's legs were dangling awkwardly over the edge, so she scooted around. She knocked into something and shoved it aside. It made a loud thump as it fell to the floor. She pushed herself with her arms so that she was laying lengthwise, her legs bent and feet flat on the desk.

Elsa stood over, grinning as she surveyed Anna splayed out on her desk. She reached for the cloth pooled at Anna's hips and pulled. Anna lifted her hips obediently. In one move Elsa had pulled off the dress as well as her stockings and underwear, throwing them aside and leaving Anna completely naked on her desk.

Elsa wasn't wasting any time, Anna thought. She pushed Anna's legs apart and bent her head to between her legs. Anna closed her eyes and tangled her hands in Elsa's hair again as she felt the first touch of Elsa's tongue against her.

Elsa had learned quickly. She had experimented, practically daily, on what got the best reactions from Anna with the use of her tongue. Now she moved her tongue up and down Anna's folds, planting a light kiss on her clit every time she reached it. Anna let out an involuntary huff each time, her back arching as she continued to massage Elsa's scalp. She loved that move, the teasing of it.

Elsa pressed two fingers up into Anna's vagina and began massaging her G-spot as she quickened her tongue. Anna wanted to beg her to move on from teasing, to suck and lick at her clit like she knew Elsa would, but she stopped herself. Elsa was in control this time.

Elsa stopped suddenly, taking her goddesses mouth away and leaving only her fingers. Anna whined, lifting her head to look at Elsa. Her eyes were dancing, wickedly playful as she looked back at Anna.

"You're a tease," Anna panted. Elsa bit her lip.

Elsa wriggled her fingers inside of Anna, making Anna's toes curl. "You're a tease, who?" she asked. It was the Ice Queen voice. That wasn't fair.

 _I've created a mon_ _ster_. She loved it. "You're a tease, ma-am."

Elsa laughed lightly, then her tongue was against Anna again, licking and sucking quickly.

The build was fast and hard. Anna cried out and arched, hands holding Elsa's face against her. She couldn't let her stop. Couldn't stop. She came, calling out Elsa's name as she pulsed around Elsa's fingers. Elsa pressed her lips to Anna's clit, holding them there until the last wave had died.

Elsa pulled out, placing her fingers in her mouth as Anna had done and smiling all the while.

Anna slumped back onto the desk.  _Damn, she is good,_ she thought. Elsa stood up and came round the side of the desk. She cupped Anna's face in her hand and leaned in for a slow, sweet kiss. Her hair fell down around her, clinging in sweaty tendrils to her neck. Anna smiled at her fondly.

The air conditioning kicking in made them both jump. Anna looked up, then shivered as the cold air hit her.

"I'm naked on your desk," She pointed out.

Elsa looked down. "Oh," she said, as if she just realised it. She blushed then looked back at Anna's face with a small smirk. "I think I got you back for that lipstick incident."

For a moment Anna was confused. Then she looked down. There were pink marks all over her naked body.

Then they burst out laughing.

* * *

"And remember to say hi to Mark Spanner, in advertising. He and his husband just adopted – baby girl, Patricia. Very cute, must be so happy, etc."

"Is there anyone in there I  _don't_  have to say hi to?"

Anna made a show of checking her list. "Me?"

"Thanks. I'm sure that will help."

"Employee-boss interaction is essential to company atmosphere-"

"-and employees who think their boss gives a damn about them will do a better job. Yes, I  _know_."

Elsa shifted her weight from foot to foot. She was wearing jeans. Her father was probably turning in his grave. Well, actually, by now he was most likely perpetually spinning. She had had sex with a woman. In the office. Wearing jeans was nothing.

But they felt uncomfortable, stiff and new and just plain  _weird_. But Anna had insisted on this too – no one wears business wear to a barbeque. She supposed she should count herself lucky that she wasn't wearing a t-shirt with a stupid saying on it like some people. Kristoff, for some reason, had a t-shirt that said 'Reindeer are better than people'. Sven had an answering shirt, saying 'People smell better than reindeer.' Elsa supposed those were good conversation starters if you were, you know, completely out of your mind.

Anna had said the cream coloured blouse with ruffles was a good choice, which was a relief since the best conversation starter slogan she could come up with would be 'Our financials are better than Weselton financials and I'm a good boss I swear please don't fire me.' Elsa had to admit that, as slogans go, it wasn't very catchy. This was why she had an advertising department.

"Anna! Come say hi to Steve from accounting!" Kristoff shouted over the crowd. Anna waved back to show she heard, then turned back to Elsa.

"Say hi to some people. I'll check on you later." She waved her fingers goodbye and sauntered off. Elsa tried not to pout – Anna couldn't hang off her elbow the whole time. That would look odd, and was selfish of her at any rate.

She looked around. It was windy up here, on the roof, but it was lovely. Her father had had it converted into an outdoor space, complete with grass and a water feature, specifically for company parties. A ton of people wandered around, clustered in groups to chat with one another. There was a larger crowd around the buffet table and barbeque. And she had to talk to pretty much every one of them. Anna owed her sex tonight. She grabbed a beer from a waiter and went to go find Mark Spanner.

* * *

"So, how's it going?" The smile Elsa gave her was initially a little too bright and false, but she slumped when she saw it was Anna.

"I am so tired," Elsa said quietly, looking around to check if anyone was listening. "Can we go yet?"

"It's only been two hours!" Anna said brightly – she'd been having a lot of fun, talking with all the people she hadn't met yet from the office.

Her smile dropped at the look on Elsa's face. It was the look of someone who'd dragged themselves through hell and back. She'd talked to so many people and they were all very pleasant and pleased that she was talking to them. The look said if she had to talk to one more of them she'd probably end up punching them in the face - just because.

"We need to stay for a while longer," Anna said gently. "But you can probably relax. Why don't we go hang out with Olaf and Marshmallow-" she pointed to where they boys were bent over their phones "and we can be done in half an hour?"

"Half an hour?" Elsa was nearly whining. Anna laughed and took hold of her arm, leading her over to Olaf and Marshmallow.

Olaf turned to greet them.

"Hi guys!" he raised his hand for a high-five, which both Elsa and Anna took him up on.

"Aren't you two supposed to be talking to people?" she asked.

"We are." Marshmallow answered.

"Okay... what country are they in?"

"Philippines." She shook her head at them, but they put the phones away to talk.

"So what's been going on in the basement?" Elsa asked, clearly relaxing now that she was around her friends.

"We're making a new computer," Olaf said excitedly, jumping on the ball of his feet.

"Aren't we a hotel company?"

"This isn't for work – it's for gaming," Marshmallow explained. "It's going to be the ultimate machine for running any PC game you can think of."

"Is this what I'm paying you for?"  
Olaf gave a giggly snort. "And for fixing your computer when you drop it off the desk."

Elsa blushed. "I told you it was an accident..." Elsa muttered. Marshmallow guffawed.

"Ms. Arendell and Ms. Summers!" They turned to see Hans jogging over. "And... Oliver, right?"

"Olaf."

"Olaf," Hans repeated. "And Marshall?"

Marshmallow gave him a surprised look. "Yes. Actually."

Anna heard Elsa biting back a laugh at the big man's surprise. "Mr. Sorlig, it's nice to see you," she said politely.

"Since when am I Ms. Summers?" Anna asked, punching his arm lightly.

"Just trying to be professional. I meant to say hello earlier, and now I've got to get going soon," Hans bemoaned. He threw a friendly arm over Anna's shoulder. "I think I ate too many hotdogs."

"And had too much beer," Anna said, waving a hand in front of her nose.

Hans smirked. Elsa looked like she was thinking of punching Hans. Anna pushed his arm away to prevent an incident. He straightened up. "Might I have use of one of your phones, ladies?"

"Mine's in my purse," Anna said, half turning to go get it.

"Don't worry about it," Elsa said, digging in her pocket for hers.

"What happened to your phone?" Anna asked as he took it.

"I lost it somewhere on Monday – haven't found... Oh..." he stopped, surprised. Elsa turned an interesting shade of purple in a matter of seconds as Hans stared at the phone in front of him.

"Shit!" Elsa said, snatching the phone from him. Anna peered over her shoulder and laughed. The texts from Monday's meeting glowed at her cheerfully.

"Were you reading those again?"

"I – uh... it's..."

"It's fine – Elsa," Hans said. He laid a gentle hand on Elsa's arm. She took a step back, pulling her shoulder away.

"Stop laughing," she hissed at Anna. Anna gave a quick glance at Hans – he'd gotten over his shock and was suppressing a smile. Anna took Elsa's hand and gave it a quick squeeze before releasing it.

"He already knows," Anna said quietly to her. Elsa shot her an accusing glare. Anna shrugged. "I had to give him some reason for breaking up with him."

It was only part of the truth, but she wanted to calm Elsa down. Elsa gave her a despairing look and marched off, hunched over her phone. She turned back to Hans. Olaf and Marshmallow seemed to have faded into the background – probably Marshmallow dragged Olaf off.

"Sorry," Hans said meekly. He swept his bangs out of his eyes in a nervous gesture. "I'll eject it from my mind. I'll just pretend I saw information about some sort of equestrian venture. I won't even make any jokes about bare-backing."

She sighed and looked back at Elsa.

"I just remembered something –" she said suddenly, turning back to Hans, "Did you forget your phone in Elsa's office?"

"I might have – why?"

"The janitor found it on Tuesday – I left it on my desk in case someone came looking for it. I can go get it."

"No, I'll go. You... go help out Elsa."

Anna nodded gratefully before he left for the roof access at a jog. She followed after Elsa, trying not to draw attention from the people still gathered around chattering. She caught up to Elsa as she pushed her way into the bathroom, fortunately catching her before she sequestered herself in the stall.

"Elsa, it's fine," she said, soothingly, grabbing her arm before she could hide. Elsa turned to her, her eyes frantic.

"You know he's on the board, right? He could ruin everything-"

"Do you really believe he'd do that?" Anna asked sharply, crossing her arms. "Hans is my friend."

Elsa's shoulders slumped under the intensity of Anna's glare. She was still clicking at her phone, though.

"What are you doing?"

"Deleting the text messages."

"Elsa – no." She grabbed at the phone, but Elsa held it above her head, out of her reach. She made a few feeble grabs at it before giving up. She crossed her arms and pouted. "You don't have to do that."

"You should delete yours too," Elsa said, returning to deleting them. Anna laughed.

"Are you kidding? I'm having them printed out and embroidered to hang on my wall."

Elsa stared at her, momentarily distracted from her mission to wipe away all evidence of their silly texts. "You're from a different planet, aren't you?"

Anna looked around quickly, double checking that they were alone. She moved to wrap her arms around Elsa's waist, pulling her tight. It was so difficult – sometimes she forgot how new this was for Elsa. How she never had Idunn to beat out the ability to be embarrassed.

"I'm not ashamed to be in love with you, Elsa," she said softly.

Elsa sighed, resting her chin on Anna's head. Her silence said more than she could articulate, the tight arms about Anna's waist desperate.

When the door opened, they leapt apart, earning a curious but unsuspecting look. "Let's go back to Olaf, just a few more minutes," Anna said quietly. Elsa nodded.

When they rejoined the boys, Anna chattered with them about their latest projects. Elsa had drawn in on herself, holding her arms tight against her chest.  _Soon, Elsa,_  she promised her in her head. People were already leaving by twos and threes, but it would be a few more minutes until it could be acceptable for the CEO to leave her own party.

She welcomed the distraction when Hans came back, waving his phone over his head.

"Thank you!" he panted as he caught up to them. "Not sure what I would've done if I hadn't found it – my life is on here."

"Yeah, know what that's like." Well, her high scores counted as a life, didn't they?

"Hey, is that an iPhone?" Olaf pushed closer. He was looking at the phone in horror.

"Yes?" Hans replied, clearly confused. Anna smirked.

"Don't you know what a horrible affront that is to the future of technology?" she said with a mocking smile. Olaf didn't notice the tone.

"Absolutely!" he agreed. "Haven't I given you an OlafBerry yet?"

Hans looked at Anna, giving a pleading look.  _Save me from the crazy techie_... She crossed her arms and smiled. "I've really got to get going," he said, waving back the way he came. "I called the taxi, I just wanted to let you know I found it."

Anna and Elsa waved and he headed out. Olaf trailed after him, bouncing on the balls of his feet. "Can I at least update yours to a better system? I've been working on one for people who prefer the touch screen..."

Anna chuckled at Olaf's insatiable desire to rid the world of Apple, and turned to Elsa. "I give up," she said. "Lets go home."

The look Elsa gave her was worth it.

* * *

**I can't believe we're on chapter 20. You know, I was originally thinking this would be 40k words... XD**

**We're getting close. Things will happen next chapter. Big things. Be prepared. :D**

**Keep shipping,**

**Capt. Elfy**


	21. Chapter 21

Anna kicked her purse, sending it flying across the room. This was not good. Today of all days she should not - could not be scatterbrained and out of sorts.

"Fuckernuts!" she shouted for good measure, hoping the universe would feel her wrath.

There was a bang from the bathroom. Five second later, Elsa ran into the room, her hair half coiled and pinned on her head, the tail of her braid sticking out sideways. "What's wrong?"

Anna's mouth twitched. Elsa was looking her up and down, as if making sure all her limbs were still in the right place. Okay, that was adorable. Then she pouted. "I can't find my phone!"

Elsa stared at her for a moment, then shook her head. "And that was worth drop-kicking your purse across the room?" she asked calmly, looking at the various odds and ends now splayed around her bedroom.

"Made me feel better," Anna muttered petulantly, going to pick up the mess. She felt like the universe was against her this morning – first she'd stubbed her toe getting to the bathroom, then she'd discovered her period had started, and now she couldn't find her phone. Exactly what she needed the day of the final meeting before the board vote.

"You probably just left it at the office," Elsa said reasonably, moving to help with the mess.

"With my luck it will be be jamming a drawer and I will have to saw my desk in half to get it back. Why are you so calm this morning? Is it because you have a chainsaw?" Anna asked, trying to keep the huff out of her voice. She wasn't really in the mood to be reasonable.

Elsa shrugged. "It's not worth getting worked up over," she said. Anna stopped and stared at her. What had gotten into her? Had she somehow stolen all of Anna's cool while they were sleeping? Elsa laughed at the look on her face.

"What I say today doesn't really matter, does it?" she said, simply. "I've shown what I'm capable of – you've shown what I'm capable of. We did a good job and now it's out of our hands."

"Fine, be all objective," Anna said, still pouting, but she allowed Elsa to put her arms around her and rested against her. She took a deep breath. "You're right," she said. "I probably just left it at the office."

* * *

Anna fidgeted in her seat. They weren't in the board room this time – there were too many people to fit in there. It was an open meeting, and everyone who had an interest in whether or not Elsa would remain as CEO would be there. So they were in a small auditorium. Anna had taken a seat in the second row. She carefully laid out her tablet, a pack of gum, and her OlafBerry (she had yet to find her iPhone).

She was separated from Elsa, and that was making her anxious. What was with her today? Why couldn't she have gotten all calm, like Elsa had? She was sitting at the head of the room, chatting with a board member like she did this every day. Elsa was back in her crisp white suit and ruffled blue blouse, with the same killer shoes. It was the outfit she was wearing on that first day, Anna remembered. And she was still just as mind-blowingly attractive as she had been then. Anna smiled at the memory – she had wanted to ask Elsa out right then and there. The only thing she had changed was now her hair was down in her long brain instead of curled on her head, her bangs swept out of her eyes in a confident, impossibly sexy manner that was nearly enough to make Anna salivate all on its own.

"Mind if I sit here?"

Anna jumped, surprised out of her ogling of Elsa. She turned to see a short, portly man in a dark blue suit. It took her a moment to place him – Kai Anderson, the head of human resources. He was indicating to the empty seat next to her.

"Oh... uh... sure. Yes, of course."  _Smooth, Anna_. Elsa had told her about Kai being her father's best friend. Not exactly the person she wanted to get caught thinking about Elsa in unvirtuous ways around.

"Thank you." He was giving her an odd look as he took his seat.

_Act natural. There's no way he can guess that you and Elsa..._

"Nervous?" he asked her.

"Oh... yeah. Really nervous."  _Dammit._ "I mean, if Els... Ms. Arendelle looses her position, it's no good for me, right?" She laughed. No, wait. Not laughing.  _Come on, Anna, act normal._

"I'm sure she'll do just fine," Kai said, patting her hand. He was smiling gently, but his eyes were searching. It was like he guessed that there was more to her nerves than worry about losing her job.

She was starting to feel like she might as well have a sign on her forehead that said 'I'm screwing Elsa', and it was with a relieved smile that she noticed Hans take the seat in front of her.

"Hey," he said, noticing her. He took in her neatly arranged desk and her tense appearance. "Stop worrying," he said. "You two have got this in the bag."

Anna returned the smile he gave her and forced herself to sit back as Mr. Hargreaves took the podium. He was right. Everything would be fine.

She shouldn't have worried – various people presented the same speeches that she had heard before in the meetings. A few employees got up to put in their two cents. The reactions to Elsa's improvements were overwhelmingly positive.

Elsa, of course, was perfect. She was more relaxed than Anna had ever seen her at work, and she remembered every point of the speech they had prepared. Next to her, Kai was glowing with pride. Anna knew how he felt.

She noticed Mr. Weselton, sitting at the front of the room. He looked very unhappy, and hadn't made a bad pun all evening. She felt bad for him, almost. After all, he had almost as much at stake as Elsa did. Though, she supposed, he would probably feel better when he had the multi-billion dollar payment that was his compensation for his company.

"Before me move onto the question and answer portion," Mr. Hargreaves said finally, "is there anyone else who thinks they have something of import to say?"

 _Import? Wow, way to sound pompous, Mr. Hargreaves_ , Anna thought as she contained an eyeroll.

Hans stood up. Anna gave him a curious look and he smiled back reassuringly.

"What's up?" she asked quietly. He shook his head then turned his attention to the room, waiting for everyone to notice him. The room quieted slowly, those at the front of the room noticing him first then slowly spreading backwards.

"Ladies and Gentlemen of the board, shareholders, employees of Arendelle Corp.," he said, formally. Anna leaned back in her chair. She flashed a quick smile at Elsa. She hadn't expected Hans to speak on their behalf, but it was a nice gesture and certainly couldn't hurt their efforts. Elsa was frowning slightly.

"We have certainly been presented with excellent arguments for both sides, and I know you are all considering the information available to you carefully. We have searched for a complete picture on what kind of leader Ms. Arendelle is for the company and I must say that what we have seen so far is certainly promising.

"I would be remiss, then, if I did not share with you some information that has very recently come to my attention."

At the head of the table, Elsa was fidgeting, twisting her hands together. What was wrong with her? She'd been fine throughout the rest of the meeting. Hans was smiling calmly, like he had practiced these words, and knew what he was going to say was important.

"As we all know, the standards set for a business leader are high, and rightfully so. They are public figures, the face of the company, the decision maker and the one who makes the big bucks -" Anna giggled into her palm at this. Yeah, that was one way of putting it. "It would then be of greatest importance if a corporate leader was discovered doing anything - untowards. Either on her own time or, heaven forbid, on the companies time."

Elsa's sharp intake of breath was audible through the room. She had gone as pale as a ghost and was staring at Hans in horror. What was going on? Hans had smiled at her - had reassured her that everything was okay. Why had the atmosphere of the room gone so cold? Why was Elsa so scared?

"I have such information," he said, pulling a blue iPhone out of his breast pocket.

"That's my phone." Anna only realised she had spoken into the deathly quiet room when everyone turned to look at her. Hans smiled. I know, the smile said.

"The date of the last meeting of the last board meeting with Ms. Arendelle was Monday, May 19th at 8:45am until 11am," Hans said calmly. He walked over to the projection unit, picking up a cable.

He couldn't be doing what his every action said he was doing. He couldn't. Anna's mind felt like it had stopped. She couldn't think, because there was no possible way that this could be happening.

He plugged the phone into the projector. The messages from Monday came up for the entire room to see. Dated and timed for when they had been in the meeting, Elsa's name at the top of the screen.

_You remember when you did my hair for the Weselton party?_

_Yeah. You sounded like you were going to have an orgasm._

_Well... maybe I was._

_Really?_

_If you tug my hair, I will be be putty in your hands._

_I like that idea._

_Well, maybe you should give it a shot when I get back to the office. ;)_

Oh god. that winking smilie. Everyone was looking at that winking smilie that was only ever meant to be seen by Elsa.

People were muttering to each other. People were staring at her. People were staring at Elsa.

"Is that..." next to her Kai was looking between her and Elsa, shock all over his face. She couldn't meet his eyes. A sick feeling was growing in her stomach.

Her eyes sought out Elsa. Elsa had gone from white to green, her arms wrapped tightly around her stomach. She wasn't looking at Anna. She wasn't looking at anyone. She was staring at nothing, terror encapsulating her from the world.

Anna stood up. She had to go to her. She had to make this better. Kai grabbed her arm, pulling her back into her seat.

"Don't," he said quietly, his arm surprisingly strong for an older man.

"This, sadly, is not all." Hans' voice cut through the murmur of the room like a knife. Anna ripped her eyes from Elsa to look back at him. He looked happy. Pleased with himself. Her hands balled into fists. He pulled out his phone.

"No." Elsa's voiced cracked as she watched him. The only response was a smile as he plugged it in.

"This was recorded shortly after that meeting," Hans informed the room. He tapped the play button, sending sound through the speakers.

"Testing, testing, one two three."

"That's really what you're going to put on there?"

"Hush. I've always wanted to be in show business. I'm siiiiinging in the raiiiin..."

"Oh, God, give me that."

She didn't laugh. She was too shocked to laugh. But many people did chuckle at the voices of Olaf and Marshmallow coming through the speakers.

"What the hell?" Hans said. He stopped the recording and poked furiously at his phone. "This is the recording! I checked it this morning!"

He turned a furious gaze on Anna, as if she had done him wrong.

He slammed the phone down on the table and you could hear it crack. "It's of no consequence," he snarled. All semblance of nicety was gone from him. "I still have the damned texts."

The room was dead silent again, everyone staring at her, Elsa or Hans. Elsa was still sitting there, her arms wrapped tightly against her stomach

"I knew it!" It was nothing more than a screech, and Anna had to whip around to find the source. Mr. Weselton, was on his feet, pointing at Elsa with a look of absolute loathing. "Gays and fornicators! Utter depravity!"

The silence of the room was broken. Everyone was talking at once. The tumult overwhelmed Anna's senses. She tried to stand again, but Kai still had a grip on her. Mr. Hargreaves was shouting, trying to get everyone to calm down.

And in the middle of it all was Elsa. She looked more lost than a child. There were tears in her eyes and Mr. Weselton was continuing to screech at her.

She leapt to her feet, and bolted from the room.

"Will everyone SHUT UP!" Silence settled like a shockwave over the room at the sound of Mr. Hargreaves voice. Mr. Hargreaves didn't seem to know what to say. He fiddled with his tie, clearly uncomfortable. "Well... that is certainly... I mean... unexpected..."

"I demand that that whore is fired at once!" Weselton howled. His toupee had gone askew on his head and he was red in the face from anger. His assistants were gently holding him back. "I will not have my company run by some disgusting-"

"Mr. Weselton." There was a sharp tone in Mr. Hargreaves voice. Weselton's mouth clamped shut, apparently aware that he had said too much. Anna was thankful for that. If Weselton had said one more word like that, she would probably try to rip out his small intestines through his mouth. Hargreaves nodded curtly. "If there are no other pressing issues-" he let the implied question hang for a moment, "then this meeting is adjourned. Members of the board, Mr. Weselton, please gather in the board room at once."

Anna stared at the board. This was bad. This was very, very, bad. She didn't notice that Kai had released her until he spoke. "I think you should go find Elsa," he said softly.

She nodded, not even looking at him. Yes. That was what she needed to do. She grabbed her purse and ran from the room, not caring as she shoved people out of her way.

Hans caught up with her as she was punching the button on the elevator repeatedly.

"I know you did something to that recording."

She whirled around. It took less that a second for the numb panic to be replaced by rage as she looked at him.

"Excuse me?" Hans was smiling at her, the anger from the board room hidden back under that mask. The mask that she hadn't even known was there.  _Idiot, Anna._  "Let me get this straight.  _I_  did something to the recording you  _illegally_  made of me and Elsa through subterfuge and... and being a fucking asshole?!"

Not as suave as she wanted it to be, but Hans was continuing to smile at her. Where once she had melted at the sight of those dimples now she had the urge to punch the look off of his face.

"That's rich, coming from someone who's been dallying on company time."

 _Dallying_? "You Evil-"

"Evil?" Hans laughed. "What are you, five?"

"Oh, let me guess, Darth Vader," she snapped. She punched the button for the elevator. She didn't have time for this. "There is no good and evil, there is only power?"

"That was Voldemort." The elevator dinged as it reached the floor.

"Shut up," she snarled. She took a step forward.

He grabbed her arm.

"No. You want to blame me for this? Who was the one who texted Elsa? Who dragged her into her office and fucked her in her chair."

Anna's face went pale. He really had made a recording. He'd listened to them having...

He'd heard their cheesy roleplay!

Hans took her silence as shame, rather than the contemplation of ripping him a new one. "Fucking the boss at work? You're a little whore, aren't you? She's paying you to have sex with her, that's what it is."

"That's not... She's..." She turned around to look at him, wrenching her arm from his grasp. She was so angry she couldn't get the words out properly. How... what did he think he was doing?

"It's not what? You telling me you don't have a kinky lust for the boss-lady."

"I love her. She loves me. You know – or, I thought you knew that." She had told him everything. She'd told him about her crush, and Elsa's insecurities and weaknesses... she'd told him everything.

Hans laughed. "Really, how naive can you be Anna? You've been dating for what - two weeks?"

She flexed her fists, using every ounce of willpower to not punch Hans in the face. "Two months," she said through gritted teeth.

He laughed again. She gritted her teeth harder. "I thought you were an adult. This isn't a movie, Anna. Love doesn't work like that."

Anna was careful to keep her face composed. She couldn't let Hans know he'd hit a nerve. Would never let him know that he got to her.

But...

She was love – she knew she was in love. She'd never been more sure of anything in her life.

But Elsa... Elsa had never said it. Elsa was afraid of this, afraid of being out, afraid of what people would think.. And she was right to be so. Even if Anna had resented it, a little. Even if she wanted to be in a normal relationship and be able to just hold Elsa's hand whenever she wanted, she knew Elsa was right to keep things private.

And now Anna's carelessness had brought them this...

"You know," Hans continued. "I was expecting you to mess up when I gave you this job. You're a klutz, an idiot. You could never do anything right. When Elsa started to improve I was a little worried, but then you went and did this- Anna, you're amazing. No one could make a surer case for Elsa loosing her job than you. As admirable as your ambition is, sleeping your way up the corporate ladder does have its consequences."

She curled her hands into fists. Her blood was pounding in her ears. She couldn't believe she was hearing this.

"You expected me to mess up?" she hissed. _Ms. Arendelle is currently looking for a PA, and something tells me that you – you are perfect for each other._  That's what he'd said to her. Had he really been planning this? For her to ruin Elsa's job, right from the beginning?

He'd seen how incompetent she was, and he planned to use it. "Why?"

He gave a snort of derision. "Why do you think, Anna?" Her name was poison on his tongue. "When Mr. Arendelle started this business it was my grandfather that invested in him first. My family that helped build his empire. They were business partners in all but name.

"You'd think that would give me a chance. I worked hard for this company. I practically ran financing for that old fool, was at every meeting, every event. I worked my ass off for this company and he knew it. Then he dies and he names  _Elsa_  as his successor.  _Elsa?_ " His voice was choked with rage. "She can't even look another person in the eye properly and she's supposed to be CEO?

"The merger with Weselton changes the strangle-hold she had on this company. Weselton stock becomes Arendelle stock, and all of a sudden Elsa doesn't have a majority share anymore. Weselton is giving me a chance. There are twelve people between me and Elsa's job right now, I recon. I help him stay in charge of  _his_  company, and he makes me his successor. That means there's one. He's old – he'll die soon anyway. And then I can have the appointment that is rightfully mine."

She stared at him, anger and rage and confusion making it impossible to speak.

Hans smiled, a slimy pleased-with-himself smile that left Anna feeling filthy just by looking at it.

"Thanks for your help," he sneered. Her turned on his heel and walked away.

* * *

**Okay, yeah, you were all right about Hans. Of course you were right. Happy now?**

**jk. I know you're not. Free healing hugs for all who need them.**

**Now, I need to go find Elsa. I think she needs that hug the most.**

**~Capt. Elfy**

**ps. If you go post on tumblr, or send me asks, try to keep out the spoilers for a few days or put them under a cut etc. We want everyone else to suffer as you have, right?**


	22. Chapter 22

Anna missed the elevator. She had been staring after Hans like a startled deer.

Coherent thought was failing her. Hans had struck his blows like a karate master of words, finding her weak spots and leaving her broken. She'd begin a thought but it would leave her halfway through...  _I can't believe... what should... I really..._

Finally, something made its way through the haze of shock.

_Get to office. Find Elsa._

Yes, that was what she needed to do. She turned to the stairs, too impatient to wait for the elevator to come again.

 _Find Elsa_.

Ten flight up, she remembered why you didn't take the stairs in a sky scraper. She collapsed on the landing, panting and clutching a stitch in her side.

_What are you doing?_

She wasn't going to find Elsa in the office. She'd probably run home, locked herself in her room. And rightfully so.

Anna was really starting to appreciate that coming out party her mother had thrown her.

She leaned against the wall and stared up into the endless concrete stairwell. She had messed up. Hans might have been the world's biggest asshole, but he was right.

 _No one could make a surer case for Elsa losing her job than you_.

It was true. He'd seen right into her, seen how much of a fuck up she really was. He'd  _known_  she was going to mess up.

Not to mention the trust she'd given him – she'd told him everything he needed to know, right from the first day. Told him every weakness of Elsa's, told him of their relationship, of her insecurities.

She had no idea what to do. She reached into her pocket. Her phone, her iPhone, was sitting in the auditorium on grand display. But her hand closed around her OlafBerry and she drew it out.

Her 'Elsa Phone' Olaf had called it. It only had her numbers programmed into it. Why couldn't she have used this phone to text Elsa? It probably had a million security measures on it.

_Elsa probably won't even want to talk to me right now. I wouldn't want to talk to me right now._

She stared at the phone, then typed in the only number she knew by heart.

"I'm not interested."

"Mom, it's me."

"Annie? I thought you were another damned telemarketer. I swear if I get one more call from them today I will reach through the phone and – are you crying?"

Anna touched a hand to her face. She was crying, tears falling thick and fast. When had that happened? And now that she had noticed, she had no control. She made a sound somewhere between a word and a sob and then she was really crying.

Her mother's voice became frantic as she sobbed into the phone. "What's wrong, Annie? What happened?"

She took a few deep, gulping breaths. "I fucked up," she blubbered.

She heard clattering in the background, a bark, and her mother's footsteps for a minute then, "Alright, I'm settled. Tell me what happened."

Anna told her. Idunn listened silently, waiting for her to get the words out. This was one of the best things about her mother – she would talk constantly and interrupt for most things, but the moment Anna started crying she was the best listener on the planet.

When she finished, Idunn took a deep breath. "Okay, so what I'm hearing is that you're a terrible, awful person."

"Uh-huh," Anna said. Yup, that was the sum of it. Her head felt like it was clogged full of snot. She bet she looked really attractive, sitting there on a stairwell with mucus dripping from her nose and a splotchy red face.

"You trusted Hans with Elsa's secrets because you thought he was your friend and he used that information to backstab you?"

It sounded so much worse coming out like that. She wiped at her nose with the back of her hand, "Kristoff warned me, you know, very first day. He said Hans wanted something from me. I should have listened to him."

"And now you think Elsa hates you, or is going to shut you out, because you can't keep your mouth shut?"

"I'd hate me."

There was a moment of quiet from Idunn. Anna could hear Mookie in the background, probably trying to convince the mail carrier that they were committing a serious felony and that their continued existence was an affront to dogkind.

"That's bullshit," Idunn pronounced.

"But-"

Idunn tutted, cutting her off. "Did Hans ever give you any reason to mistrust him? Did he ever give any indication that he was less of a friend than he said he was?"

"No, but-"

"There's no 'but' her, Annie. You trust people. It's beautiful, really. You meet someone and you take what they give you at face value. You don't suspect that people are plotting against you or that they want something from you."

Anna gave a bitter laugh. That was her, alright. "You mean I'm naive."

"Maybe," Idunn conceded, always one to accept the obvious, "but why is that a bad thing? It's never wrong to trust, love. It's a beautiful, wonderful thing and if the world had more people like you it'd be a better place."

"But-"

"What did I say about buts?"

This time Anna laughed for real. "That they're God's gift to humanity and a great reason to wake up in the morning?"

"Wrong 'buts'." Anna laughed again. "The point is, you can't blame yourself for Hans breaking your trust. Blame him, and save your energy for fixing what you can fix."

Anna smiled and rubbed the tears out of her eyes. This was why she called her mom. "What will I do about Elsa?" she asked.

"I doubt she'll hate you as much as you think she will. That girl loves you, you know."

"She's never said it," Anna objected. It felt important. "I've said it to her, but she hasn't said it back.

"Well, that's you all over. Jump in head first and all that." Idunn sounded proud. Anna scowled at the wall.

"Trust too much, you mean," she corrected. "You know, I think after this I'll wait and see if people earn my trust before I give it."

"No you won't," Idunn said with a snort.

"Well, fine, probably not." Dammit, her mother knew her too well. She leaned forward, her back aching from the long time sitting on the concrete. "But that still leaves Elsa... I don't want her to lose her job."

"You'll do the right thing," Idunn said with conviction.

"I'll try," Anna hedged. She wasn't sure she knew what the right thing was anymore.

"If you do the wrong thing, you'll survive. You and Elsa will survive. As long as you don't kill anyone the situation is always redeemable."

She chuckled and dragged herself to her feet by the hand rail. "I'll keep that in mind."

After she hung up, she climbed the remaining stairs slowly, considering what to do. She felt clear headed after talking to her mom. She needed to do something – something to make sure that Elsa could keep her position. She needed to make this right, or at least showed that she tried.

She shoved her phone in her pocket and bounded up the last flight two stairs at a time. She needed to get to her computer. She needed to make this right.

* * *

Elsa had made it out of the parking lot and was trapped at a stop-light when she broke down.

She began to tremble all over.  _Fuck. Fuck. Fuck_. It played like a mantra though her head. Everyone had been in that room. The board, her employees... Kai. Kai had been in that room. Tears clouded her eyes and she blinked furiously.

 _Do you know what this sort of thing can do to your career?_  Her father had said that, once. He might as well have been there.

A sob escaped her and she gripped the wheel tighter.  _Dad, what have I done?_

But also...  _Dad, what have you done to me?_

A car horn blared behind her. The light had changed without her noticing. She moved the car forward, but tears were falling thick and fast. She could barely see, let alone drive. She pulled into the first driveway she could find and parked the car. She sat and stared at the wheel, her mind running in circles.

Everyone knew now. Everyone. And... what did that mean?

Her dad would have hated her.

She hated her dad.

Everyone knew.

She wrapped her arms around her middle, feeling ill.

_What am I going to do?_

Past experience was telling her she should run away. Hide until everyone had forgotten. Hide until she could forget.

That's what she always did.

She thought about packing up and running. She could go anywhere. She was rich even if she wasn't a CEO. The thought made her sick.

She didn't want to run. She wanted Anna. She wanted to be held by her and for Anna to tell her that everything was going to be okay. That's what Anna would tell her.

 _But it's not_ , she argued back.

She continued to cry. Her head began to throb.

_What am I going to do?_

Her tears dried up. She hiccoughed occasionally, feeling numb and lost, as she stared blankly out the window.

"Mommmm." A child ran past out the window, the whiny tone insinuating into her consciousness. "I want a doughnut!"

Elsa brushed at her eyes, sticky and sore, and focused on the world outside the car.

She was in a Tim Horton's parking lot. The glass door swung shut and a small girl disappeared inside. Her mother jogged to catch up.

Elsa undid her seat belt and got out of the car.

She'd never been in a Timmy's before. It had always been Anna – Anna bringing her the morning cafe mocha and sugary breakfast of the day. Anna taking care of her. Her father would never have let her eat here.

Her father never let her do a lot of things.

She followed the smell of coffee and baked goods inside. The smell was completely linked to Anna in her mind. Walking in there was like walking into the office to two cafe mocha's and a box of doughnuts, and the waiting arms of Anna Summers.

She looked around – the child who had passed the car was jumping up and down to try and get a glimpse of the doughnut display as her mother dug through her purse. A group of teens sat in the corner, being loud and drinking iced coffee. In the opposite corner, by the window two old women sat as they ate soup and sandwiches.

They were laughing and chattering. The darker skinned of the two was grinning from ear to ear as she looked at her companion. It was obvious they were very close and Elsa found she couldn't look away.

They weren't even sitting across from each other – they sat next to one another in the booth. The little, pale skinned lady leaned over and whispered something in the other's ears. They giggled into their hands. It was adorable.

It was possible they'd been friends since they were little girls, decades passing without them being apart for long, sharing everything. Or maybe they became friends at a bridge game in the seniors centre. Finding friendship after the loss of their husbands. Or – Elsa's stomach flipped at the thought – maybe they were an old married couple. They could be. They look so happy together, like they'd rather not be anywhere else but with each other.

 _Maybe, in fifty years, Anna and I will be like that_.

The thought came at her out of nowhere. Her hands clenched, then unclenched.

She could see them doing it. See them sharing a Boston cream doughnut, and Anna getting cream on her chin like she had done the other morning and Elsa reaching out with a wrinkled, spotted hand to wipe it off for her.

"Excuse me!"

She looked away from the couple to see an employee staring at her in confusion, clearly wondering if she were mentally deficient. Elsa blushed, realising she was holding up the line.

"Can I help you?"

She blinked a couple times and looked up at the menu. "Uh... can I get two Cafe Mocha's? And a Boston cream, please."

* * *

The second time Anna returned to the office, she nearly dropped the folder she was carrying. "Elsa!" She was so surprised to see Elsa sitting at her desk, she stood in the doorway. She wasn't prepared. She had the paper, but what was she going to say? She hadn't planned yet.

Elsa was fiddling with the tab on the lid of a Timmy's cup. She licked her lips before speaking.

"I'm sorry," she began, "I-"

"No, no, it's okay," Anna interrupted, hurriedly. She couldn't stand to hear Elsa apologize. She approached the desk, watching her feet to prevent herself from tripping. "It's not your fault. None of it is your fault."

She slid the paper out of the folder, her fingers trembling. "If anyone is to blame besides for Hans, it's me. I started that stupid text message thing. I refused to delete it from my phone. I... I accosted you in your office. If it hadn't been for Olaf everyone would have heard that too... you know I love you but I wouldn't be surprised if you were angry at me for all this. I deserve it. I deserve worse, really, because I might have lost you your job so I thought really hard about that and so I'm going to make it right." She was rambling. Of course she was rambling. She never did anything but. She held out the paper. "I probably even have a bunch of typos because I was typing so fast, but it's still official. Signed it with a pen. I had to run to the drug store to print it off and buy a box of pens which is why I wasn't here when you got back. I can't believe Olaf won't even allow us to have printers in this place. Though I guess I never realised how much paper I wasted before in the old office-"

"Anna!" Anna's mouth snapped shut. Elsa was looking at the paper in her hands. "What  _is_  it?"

Anna took a deep breath, then held the paper out to her. "It's my letter of resignation."

Elsa blinked slowly, like she wasn't sure she heard, and looked down at the page. She stared at it for a long minute. Anna could barely breathe, waiting for her to take it.

When the response came it was firm and defiant. "No." Elsa's hands clenched on top of the desk. She looked up to Anna's face. She was staring at Anna like she had never seen her before. Anna was trembling even more now.

 _Don't lose your resolve. You can do it._ She licked her lips. Her entire mouth seemed to have gone completely dry.

"Elsa, this is for the best." She moved closer, practically shoving the paper under Elsa's nose. "If I don't work here anymore, you can get their trust back. You can keep your job."

Every word she spoke, Elsa's look became wilder. More confused. More hurt. She shook her head furiously, her eyes wide. "I can't."

"What are you talking about?" Anna said. She nearly laughed, though the situation was anything but funny. "Of course you can! You can even say you fired me, that we broke it off. You can't have a torrid office romance if I don't work here."

Elsa shook her head again and pushed herself away from Anna, from the letter, as if the paper she was holding out was poisonous. Anna's heart felt like it was breaking as she watched the emotions battle on Elsa's face. Anxiety, fear and then, finally, resolve. Elsa sat up straight, crossing her arms. "I don't accept your resignation."

"Elsa..." Anna pleaded. She really wanted to walk around the desk, to take Elsa into her arms and comfort her. She was afraid and hurt, Anna could tell. But she couldn't do that. If she did, she'd never be able to let go. She knew what she needed to do, and she was going to do it. She put the paper on the desk.

Elsa glared at it for a moment, then finally picked it up. Anna stopped breathing for a moment.

Elsa began to tear it into bits without even reading it.

"Elsa..."

"You're trying to be noble, and to take the fall," Elsa said. She reduced the paper to long strips with deft fingers.

"It's  _my_  fault _._ " Why couldn't Elsa see that? "I sent those texts. I pushed you. I was careless, and needy, and it could cost you your company, Elsa. It's my fault."

Elsa's mask slipped – the steely resolve of Ms. Arendelle, CEO turned into the barefaced confusion of just Elsa. Then she frowned, real anger coming to her face.

Elsa stood up slowly, crumbling the strips of the letter in her fist as she glared at Anna. "You know," she said, her voice as cold as ice. "I've been afraid of who I am for a long time. I've hated myself. I've hated my father. I hated random women on the street whose only fault was being attractive to me."

She picked started tearing the strips into little squares, scrunching them up into her hand. " _You_  were the one to bring me out of that.  _You_ were the one who turned that hate into love.  _You_ were the one who taught me that I am allowed to be who I am. And you are never, ever, allowed to put the word  _fault_  anywhere near that again."

Anna realised her mouth was open. She'd not expected this and she couldn't think of anything to say in the face of Elsa's anger. Elsa had walked around the desk and was right in front of her, still tearing the paper into smaller and smaller bits.

"If it weren't for you," she continued. "I wouldn't even have been at that meeting. I wouldn't have made it this far. I probably would have given up and just let him take my father's company. Because I couldn't have handled it anyway."

"But you did all that stuff on your own," Anna protested again, "I just-"

"Just what? 'Just' believed in me? 'Just' helped me plan for every little thing? 'Just' helped me learn how to do my job? I need you. You." She let the bits of paper tumbled from her fingers. They fell to the floor like snow, covering the ground between them. "I can't do this without you, Anna. I  _won't_  do this without you."

* * *

**Go, girl, go! *hehe***

**I'm so proud of my baby Elsa. *sniff* She's growin' up.**

**Cheers,**

**Capt. Elfy**


	23. Chapter 23

Anna's arms were like coming home. Even though it had only been that morning, four hours at most when they had last held each other, to Elsa it felt like it had been years. Her heart had ached from stress and uncertainty, but the moment Anna held her all the frustration melted away. She rested her head on Anna's shoulder, burying her face in her hair.

This was home. This was where she wanted to return to every day. Possibly for the rest of time.

Eventually they had to pull apart. That was the downside to hugs – eventually they had to end. She leaned back and looked into Anna's crystal blue eyes. They had tears in them.

"Here," she said. She grabbed the Cafe Mocha from the desk.

Anna sniffed, giving a wet smile as she took the cup. "You went to Timmy's?"

Elsa shrugged. Okay, going to Timmy's during a crisis was a bit odd. "I was going to run away again," she admitted. She reached over and brushed away the tears sticking to Anna's cheeks. "I didn't get very far before I changed my mind."

Anna peered at her as she took a long sip from her cup. Her eyes were asking a question, one that she didn't seem to want to voice.

_Why? Why did you change your mind?_

Words – words were not enough to convey the answer to that. Not right now. Elsa kissed Anna's cheek before pulling out the doughnut and breaking it in half.

They ate and drank in silence for a few moments. Elsa watched Anna, just taking in her beautiful, wonderful face.

Anna cleared her throat, setting the cup on the desk. "So now that you've literally ripped myplan to little shreds-"

"No apology for that," Elsa interrupted with a smile.

"-what is  _your_  plan?"

Elsa's smile faded. She sat back, leaning against the desk. She had decided to stay – to face this head on.

That meant she would have to act.

The board would not be impressed. She knew that. Her stomach twisted just thinking about it. But she also knew there was little she could do to change what they saw, or what they thought about it. There was another issue, though.

"What Hans did –" Anna's face contorted into a snarl. Elsa didn't blame her. "What he did was wrong. And whether or not I am in charge of this company after the merger, I am going to make sure he pays through the nose for what he did to you."

She picked up the phone and punched in the number for the legal department. Anna gave her a curious look, but kept quiet as the phone rang through.

"Arendelle legal department, how may I direct your call?"

"Hello. This is Ms. Arendelle."

There was a surprised intake of breath on the other end. She wondered if they had heard about what had happened yet. "Ms. Arendelle! How can I help you?"

"Could Mrs. Flint please come to my office."

"Now?" the man sounded surprised. "She's supposed to be in a meeting in-"

"I need her immediately. I'm sorry. It's very urgent."

"Yes Ms. Arendelle. I'll have her come up straight away."

"Thank you." She hung up. Anna lowered her cup, and raised an eyebrow.

"You made a phone call," she said.

"Yes?" Elsa replied, confused. Anna had been right there, watching her do it.

"I didn't even have to twist your arm about it."

* * *

Bulda Flint had been in the employment of the company since Elsa had been very young, but Elsa had never had much to do with her. The woman who walked into the office was virtually a stranger to her. She was quite short, but robust, with dark brown skin and curly black hair. With her red suit and a way of walking and grinning that practically screamed 'EXTROVERT' it took a lot of willpower for Elsa not to bolt into her office through the nearest conveniently placed window. Bulda wasn't going to let either of them hide, however.

"You've got a girl!" Bulda squealed. It was loud enough that Elsa was sure the whole building could hear her. Bulda grabbed the both of them and pulled them into a bear hug.

 _Wait. What?_ Elsa looked over to Anna. The traitor was laughing.

Bulda released Elsa and began to fuss over Anna. "You know Kai told me your new assistant was lovely and isn't that just so? Look at this lovely hair, those bright eyes. And freckles! And everyone's saying she's such a nice girl too, and made you come out of your shell a bit. I could barely believe it when Gerda told me.  _You,_ " this was to Anna, "must be a miracle worker. Yes, yes, I approve of you for our little Elsa."

_Our little Elsa?_

"Uh... excuse me but..." Bulda wasn't listening. She continued to coo over them.

"You two make such a pretty picture! I absolutely have to get you two over for dinner! Grandpabbie would be so happy to see you, Elsie. You probably don't even remember when you were little and came over with your father..."

"Mrs. Flint..." Elsa moaned. This was almost as embarrassing as the meeting had been. No one had called her 'Elsie' since she was seven. Bulda ignored her and patted her head.

"Can hardly talk to a room full of stranger, you know, but you've gotten her working on that! Make sure you teach her how to smile, sometimes. You have such a lovely smile, and so does Elsa if she ever thinks to use it."

She was trying to make Anna leave her. That was it. It was the only explanation.

"And look at those hands. She still bites her nails, just like when she was little, even though I know she has a very well paid manicurist."

"Mrs. Flint!" Elsa finally shouted. "I thank you for your congratulations." Bulda opened her mouth as if to keep going, " _But_ I really have something urgent to take care of."

 _Finally_  the woman closed her mouth. Anna was biting her lip to keep from smiling.

 _Well, at least someone is amused._  "I presume, since you were present enough to hear  _what_  was revealed at the meeting, you took note of how it transpired."

Bulda's smile faded.

"Oh, yes," she said bitterly, "I saw what that... unpleasant... man did."

Elsa was 99.9% certain that that was not the word Bulda wanted to use. "My biggest point of concern is that it was Anna's phone that Mr. Sorlig was using – and without her permission, if that wasn't obvious. He must have taken it from her office yesterday. He's been her... pretending to be her friend for months."

Bulda looked very interested at this piece of information, as Elsa knew she would. Anna looked puzzled. She was rubbing her arm where Bulda had hugged her. Elsa was sure she'd have some sort of bruise.

"Yeah, he stole my phone, but isn't that missing the bigger issue?" she asked, her voice rising. "He completely outed you in front of the company!"

"And sadly, that's not illegal," Bulda said, scowling.

"But, it could hurt her career!" Anna's voice was outraged as she turned on the woman. "Isn't it slander or libel or something like that?"

Despite herself, Elsa smiled. Anna was so indignant on her behalf. Bulda looked to Elsa, waiting for her to take the lead. "I can't press charges for defamation," she said, looking Anna straight in the eyes. "He told them I'm gay, and I am. I'm not going to go before a court and deny that."

Saying it out loud, Elsa felt a small trill of surprise. She hadn't wanted to be outed. She hadn't wanted anyone to know. But now that they knew, she wasn't going to drag herself back into the closet. She was going to be who she was, the rest of them be damned. Anna's face was a confusing mixture of happiness and anger. Elsa smiled, her eyes crinkling. "Don't worry, the law isn't the only one who can deal out consequences. I happen to know that this company has extremely strict safe-space policies. I know because I signed them myself."

"You signed them?" Anna asked.

"Did you think my father did?" Elsa replied, skeptically.

Anna's mouth popped open in surprise. She must have known about the protections, but Elsa guessed that she just hadn't thought about them, or where they came from. It had been a petition – Elsa was somewhat ashamed that she hadn't come up with them herself, but at least she'd had the presence of mind to agree to them, even if she hadn't felt that they should apply to herself at the time.

"And stealing your phone is more than just stealing a piece of equipment," Elsa added. "That would only be a minor charge – theft underneath the value of $5000 – but he stole the information on the phone."

She looked at Bulda for confirmation. The woman had taken out a pad of legal paper and was scribbling notes furiously. Elsa's father had always said she was the best lawyer in the province. She was terrifying. Which also explained why she was the only person in the office permitted to use paper. Olaf had tried to steal all of it from her once. Only once. She put him under citizen's arrest for four hours on the window-cleaner's scaffolding on the 24th floor.

"Theft of information – important information for the company, I presume as you are Ms. Arendelle's personal assistant – as well as invasion of privacy. The respect for privacy laws might be in a deplorable state, but I know the court won't bend it for some money-grubbing corporate climber. Especially one whose actions are so clearly homophobic."

Anna shook off her surprise. "I hadn't thought of it like that," she said. Bulda smiled, jabbing a period on her notes with a flourish.

"That's why I'm the lawyer, so I can tell you these things. There are enough charges there to ruin Mr. Sorlig's career and raise a hefty fine, if not earn him jail time."

Anna considered this. Elsa wondered what she was thinking. Hans had been her friend, and she knew that Anna must be hurting from the betrayal. But how was she handling this?

The silence stretched. Anna was staring at her cup, now empty, lost in thought. Elsa cleared her throat.

"The only question then," Elsa prompted, "is if you wish to press charges, Anna."

Elsa bit her lip and waited. She wasn't going to pressure Anna into it. It was her decision – the crime has been committed against her, technically. And Anna was so sweet... but she had to see that Hans needed to be punished for his action, right?

Anna blinked a few times. "Fuck yes?" she said. It was a question. Like she couldn't believe Elsa would have thought the question worth asking. Elsa released the breath she hadn't known she was holding.

"Oh good!" Bluda exclaimed, she clapped her hands. "You know, after what my Kristoff said I wasn't sure you would!"

"Your Kristoff?" Elsa asked.

"He's my son." She caught the brief surprise that must have shown on Elsa's face. "Fostered, along that rascal Sven." She smiled, her eyes twinkling.

"What did Kristoff say?" Anna asked, her eyes narrowed.

"Oh, it's not important..." Bulda waved a hand and pulled out her laptop.

"I'm going to have to smack him, aren't I?"

Bulda ignored her. "We should get to work on those papers you're going to serve Hans."

Elsa left them to it. They'd sort out the problem of Hans, she was sure. Now she had to sort out her own problem. She took Anna's laptop and went to her desk.

She pulled up the scheduling programme. There were a lot of schedules to change.

* * *

Anna watched Elsa's hands tremble. She was trying to hide it. Her face had taken on that cool, ice queen mask that used to be so familiar. She was arranging and rearranging her notes, waiting for the board members to arrive.

Despite the gravity of the situation, Anna was impressed with Elsa. She had called the meeting on her own, had prepared her materials and made numerous phone calls and emails all while Anna had been discussing Hans with Bulda.

Bulda had come with them, at Elsa's request. She was sitting at the far end of the room, being inconspicuous as she could, which was not very. She was not an inconspicuous woman.

The sound of the elevator opening alerted them to the arrival of the board members. Elsa dropped her phone on the table.

"I'll take you to dinner tonight, no matter what happens," Anna said quietly, trying to give a reassuring smile despite the butterflies in her own stomach.

"It's a date." Elsa sat down at the head of the table just as Mr. Hargreaves and company began to file into the room. She nodded to each as they came in, but she said nothing. Her lips were pressed tight together and she was faintly green.

 _Please don't puke_. That would not help whatever Elsa had been planning to say in the slightest. Or it might. Anna didn't actually know what she was planning. Probably explaining herself.

But how was she going to explain? She said she was done hiding, but was it really true? It was a big leap, to admit it to everyone like this. Maybe she would deny what Hans said after all. She could do that, if she tried. It might be believable.

Anna's stomach twisted.  _Stop it. She won't do that to you._

All the seats were filled. What little chatter there had been died off. Mr. Hargreaves looked to Elsa.

"Thank you for coming," Elsa said, quietly. She was looking at her hands. "I'm sorry for the inconvenience that this may have caused in your day but I felt it imperative to clear the matter as quickly as possible."

_Oh, baby, come on. You can do it. Look at them._

Elsa's hands flexed where she held them folded on the table.

"The matter being Mr. Sorlig's... allegations?" someone asked. Anna didn't notice who. She was too busy watching Elsa. Elsa bit her lip gently, took a breath, and looked up.

"Mr. Sorlig's allegations are correct. I am in engaged in a relationship with Ms. Anna Summers, my personal assistant. A... a romantic relationship." She paused, licking her lips. Anna pushed a cup of water at her, but Elsa ignored it, continuing. "We exchanged a text conversation by phone during working hours of a flirtatious nature. Mr. Sorlig stole Ms. Summers' phone upon learning of our relationship and used it..." Elsa stumbled over her words here, she looked down at her hands. "Well... you saw."

Anna was left breathless.  _She said it._

The room was still, waiting for Elsa to continue. Elsa took a sip of the water, then looked up again sitting straighter.

"I've come to the realisation," she said. This time her voice was strong. No hesitation marred her words. "And this is not a sudden realisation, but merely culminating this morning, that keeping my sexuality and my relationship with Ms. Summers has done no one, least of all myself, any favours. It is a toxic, unpleasant thing, denying who I am, in hiding something I should be proud of. In doing so I provided Mr. Sorlig with the opportunity to hurt not only me, but someone I care about very deeply. And this is why I am here: not to apologize for the clear transgression of engaging in flirtations while working, though I am deeply sorry and shamed for those actions. No, this is to show everyone here, but most of all myself that I am not afraid of who I am."

Her clear blue eyes were calm. She unclenched her hands. They were steady as she looked around the room, meeting everyone's eyes in turn. Last was Anna. Elsa held her gaze in her own as she continued.

"I love Anna Summers, more deeply and more heartfelt than I have ever loved anyone before. She is my rock, and light to me. She has helped me realise so much about myself and, I really believe, has made me a better person. "

She was still looking at Anna. Only at Anna. A lump was forming in Anna's throat and she could scarcely breathe as Elsa continued.

"I cannot and should not be ashamed of that any longer. I have been hiding all of my life, afraid of being who I should be, but I'm not going to do that anymore. I love her, and your opinion of that doesn't matter to me anymore. I can hope that you will accept it for what it is: love as pure as any.

"I can remind you of the anti-discrimination laws that are in effect, both within this country and within our company. You cannot legally discriminate against me, or against Ms. Summers, based on the nature of our relationship. However, I'm not a fool. You have your vote soon and though I hope that your choice will be informed by your fair judgement of my attempted improvements over the past month, I know that you can vote based on anything with no chance of repercussions. And I want you to know: I don't care.  _I love Anna_ , and if the consequences of that love are that I can no longer be head of this company, then so be it."

The silence that followed was complete. Anna could feel her heart pounding in her chest.

 _I love her_.

She'd said it. She'd said it to everyone, but she'd been looking at Anna as she said it.  _I love Anna_. Anna wanted to leap from her seat and throw her arms around Elsa and shower her with kisses and drag her into the nearest supply closet... No, not the greatest idea. Possible the exact opposite to the point of the meeting. Instead she reached over and grasped her hand. Elsa squeezed it gently before looking back to the room. The lump in Anna's throat was as heavy as lead and she could feel tears gathering behind her eyes.

 _She said she loves me_.  _She told them she loves me._

Finally, Mr. Hargreaves stood up. He cleared his throat. And Elsa... oh Elsa, she looked him straight in the eyes, daring him to say something against her. Fully and truly brave.

"You  _are_  aware that we're a hotel chain, aren't you?"

Anna whipped around.  _Wait, what?_  He wasn't frowning. Not smiling, but definitely not frowning.

"Well... yes..." Elsa's voice was confused. It was an odd question.

Now Mr. Hargreaves smiled. Just a little bit. "To put it succinctly: the gayer the bell-hops, the better their tips."

A chuckle spread throughout the room. Anna looked to Elsa. Elsa looked at Anna. Both of them were thinking the same thing.  _What in the..._

"Homosexuality is the bread and butter of this business. The climate of the public means that there is absolutely everything to be gained from having a lesbian CEO. I contacted PR already to put together a public announcement to cash in on it."

Elsa opened and closed her mouth a couple of times. Anna could hardly believe her ears. They were really okay with this? If anyone was going to be a dick, Anna would have been sure about it being Mr. Hargreaves. But he was okay with Elsa and her... more than okay? He wanted her to make a public announcement of it. Alright, that was a bit much, Anna felt. Poor Elsa wasn't ready for that quite yet.

"I think we'll have to discuss that more later," Anna butted in. Hargreaves looked over at her and she stared him down. Elsa was  _hers_  dammit, and he wasn't going to push her. He stared back for a minute, then looked away, properly shamed.

"Yes, well, now..." he muttered, then cleared his throat. "Now, about the texting during meetings..." He trailed off.

 _Crap. That's still a thing._ But, fortunately, Bulda stood. She looked around the room and the board members all seemed to shrink as she stared them down.

"I believe we can all admit to some indiscretions during meetings. I know for a fact some of you are capable of sleeping with your eyes open. Not to mention certain allegations of inappropriate telephone behaviour." This she said directly to Mr. Hargreaves.

"We do all make mistakes," he muttered. Bluda nodded, satisfied.

"And I'm sure Ms. Arendelle has learned her lesson."

"Yes. I'm very sorry," Elsa said, hurriedly.

"Really sorry," Anna added, just to be sure. "Won't happen again."

There was another short, awkward silence before another member of the board stood up. "Since that matter is taken care of, the board would like to discuss the matter of the merger with Weselton. We feel that given recent events that it is no longer in Arendelle Corp's best interest to go through with the merger. It is our recommendation that you break of the negotiations immediately. We suggest including in our press release his... less than savoury attitude toward the LGBT population and wait until he's in such a ruin that we can buy his property outright."

Elsa and Anna were shocked into silence. It was over? That was it?

"That... uh..." Elsa coughed into her hand then tried again. "That sounds reasonable."

Anna put her face in her hands, forcing herself to breath normally.  _It was over_.

* * *

Anna caught Elsa's hand as they walked into the office. The meeting was over and her head was spinning from all that had happened. Elsa's hand trembled against hers and she let Anna pull her into a hug with a grateful sigh.

"Well, we survived," Elsa said, resting her head on Anna's shoulder. "I think the boss will let us have the rest of the day off."

Anna chuckled. "That's nice of her."

"Let's get ready to go." Anna nodded in agreement.

There was something that was bugging her though, as she and Elsa cleared up their things, getting ready to head to Elsa's place. She hated herself for worrying about it, but she had to make sure.

"Elsa?" she called, setting down her laptop bag.

"What?" Elsa called back through the open door to her office.

"Did you really mean it?" She heard the click of Elsa's desk being locked and the leather chair rolling back.

"Mean what?" she asked.

"That... that you love me?" Anna bit her lip. There was a brief silence from the other room. Shit. Why did she ask that? "Only, you never actually said it to me before then and I was wondering if you really had wanted to say it like that, I mean, I know you really like me, I'm not questioning that it's just I don't want you to think I was expecting you to tell me you love me if you're still not ready to-"

There was a thump, a curse and Elsa appeared at the door, her eyes wide.

"Of course!" she said. "Of course I meant it!"

Anna's tongue seemed to stick to the roof of her mouth. "Really?" It came out as a squeak.

Elsa crossed the room in three quick strides and pulled Anna into a bone crushing hug. "I love you, Anna," she said. "I love you. I love you so much, my darling precious Anna."

Anna's eyes stung as she clung to Elsa and she felt that stupid lump return to her throat so she could not say 'I love you' back. It didn't matter. Elsa just repeated it, over and over, like a mantra. Like an apology for all the times she couldn't say it before. "I love you."

"Oh, you two are so cute!" Anna jolted. Her head bonked against Elsa's chin making her yelp. Bulda, who had entered the room unnoticed, shoved them together again. "Don't let me keep you two apart."

Elsa chuckled and pulled Anna back into her hug. Anna wasn't about to protest. Never, ever. "I just wanted to let you know I got a reply from Mr. Sorlig's attorney. They've offered a bargain to keep this out of courts."

Anna's first instinct was to tell Bulda to take his offer and shove it where the sun don't shine. Elsa squeezed her shoulder. "What sort of deal?" she asked, as if it weren't all that important.

Bulda grinned. "In exchange for not pressing charges, they will offer up Hans' shares in the company to Ms. Summers."

Anna gaped. "Isn't that bribery?"

"It's a settlement. Perfectly legal."

Elsa's voice was strangled. "That's... that's huge! The Sorlig interests are massive. With Anna having those..."

"Combined, you two will have the majority shares. It doesn't even matter what those fools think, though I'm glad to see they're being reasonable. You can vote yourself in as CEO!" She cackled at this. "And I settled the legal part of your bit, Elsie darling. He's hopping mad, but his lawyer knows there's squat that he can do. I'll leave you two for a while, and you can contact me with your decision once you've had some time to look over it. I'm sure you two want to get home for other... pressing business."

She marched off, leaving Anna feeling horribly hot around the ears. "What did she mean about your bit?" Elsa just buried her face in Anna's hair.

"Can we go home now?" she mumbled after some time. "I'll tell you once I'm under the covers and don't have to face another human being for the rest of the night."

They got as far as the parking lot. Elsa was holding Anna's hand as they walked through the building to the parking lot outside and Anna felt like she could have floated there. A few people stared, and Elsa didn't flinch. Helga the security guard had her mouth hanging open as they passed and Elsa waved at her. Anna wasn't sure anything could make the day more perfect than it was right at that moment.

But then Kristoff showed up.

He and Sven were running across the parking lot, waving their arms, Kristoff shouting both of their names. "Elsa!" They stopped and turned just outside of Elsa's car. Kristoff bowled into both of them, crushing them in a hug. "Thank you thank you thank you!" he shouted. Sven clapped his hands together, a delighted smile on his face.

"Whatdidido?" Anna spluttered, utterly bewildered. Kristoff released her.

"You heard already?" Elsa said, raising an eyebrow. "I was going to tell you myself tomorrow."

"Mum told us," he said. "She told us everything. You were, and I quote 'a boss ass bitch' today." He was grinning from ear to ear. Elsa sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Well, yes, I figured you deserved it."

"Deserved what?" Anna practically shouted.

"Our promotion! VP of financing!" Sven hit him. "And my new personal assistant!"

Anna's face lit with understanding. "You fired Hans?" she asked, looking at Elsa.

"More like demoted him," she mumbled.

"He's Sven's PA." Kristoff said, sounding as delighted as a little boy at Christmas.

Elsa was cut off from explaining further by an angry roar. They looked back toward the building to see Hans storming towards them. He wasn't the least bit hansom now.

"You think it's funny?" he shouted at Elsa, his face an interesting shade puce. "Making me Crispy Crunch's PA?"

Anna dropped Elsa's hand. He dared talk to Elsa like that? After what he pulled? She stepped forward and gave him a shove. "Firstly, it's Kristoff. Kristoff!" she snapped. "Secondly, you're not his PA. You're his PA's PA." She crossed his arm. It was amusing, watching his face contort into all those interesting shapes. All of his actor's mask was gone and he was downright ugly. Behind her she heard Elsa dialling her phone but she wasn't about to turn her back on Hans for one second to find out what she was up to.

"Oh, great, that's rich," he spat, "I might as well be his PA-" he gestured rudely at Kristoff "because Marcus doesn't even talk."

Anna stared at him, unable to believe she had ever once liked this man. "Who the fuck is Marcus?"

"What are you talking about?" Kristoff asked. "Sven never shuts up!"

Everyone looked at Sven but Elsa, who had stepped off a ways. Sven nodded, looking absolutely flabbergasted.  _I always felt he was very articulate when I hear him talk. Wait, have I ever heard him talk?_  Anna mused, but she was distracted again. Hans was ranting some more.

"And I'm supposed to go to sensitivity training! Because apparently my actions 'don't promote the inclusive environment that Arendelle Corp wishes to foster among its employees.' What a load of bullshit. My father is talking of disowning me because of you! I was going to run this damn company and now I'm reduced to getting coffee and typing up reports because you two are fucking whores-"

Kristoff stepped forward, balling his hand into a fist.  _Oh, no you don't-_  Anna thought stepping in his way. If anyone was going to punch this idiot it was going to be her or-

Anna was stopped short by a strong hand on her shoulder. She turned, intending to yell at Kristoff for holding her back, and was surprised to see Elsa. She gave a smile at Anna's angry expression, squeezed her shoulder reassuringly and stepped towards Hans.

She pulled back her arm, and punched him.

It was like it was going in slow motion. Her fist connected with the side of his jaw. There was a smack, and a crunch. His neck wrenched to the side, and he lost his balance. His arms pinwheeled and he fell, landing hard on the pavement.

He picked himself up, brushing off his expensive suit and wiping his rapidly swelling lip with the back of his hand. He looked back to Elsa, opening his mouth. Probably to spew some more bile. "No one's going to believe you. The cameras had a... momentary glitch." She wiggled the phone in her left hand. From the phone came muffled singing that sounded suspiciously like 'God Save the Queen.'

Anna smirked as Elsa crossed her arms, looking down her nose at him. "We'll be expecting you bright and early tomorrow morning for training for your new position," she said coolly. "Sensitivity training begins next week. Good day, Mr. Sorlig."

Hans's lip curled. He looked from Elsa to Kristoff to Sven, and finally, to Anna. He was met with stony faces, all silently daring him to try something.

His jaw clenched and he picked himself off the ground. Though he didn't quite run he did walk away very, very, quickly.

"God damn, that was sexy," Anna said. She resisted the urge to wolf whistle. Barely.

Elsa uncrossed her arms and flexed her right hand, wincing slightly. "I think I broke something," she said.

Kristoff laughed as Anna took Elsa's hand, showering it in kisses. "All better," she declared.

"Well, it's certainly more colourful," Elsa said, looking at the lipstick stains that covered her hand. Anna giggled then kissed Elsa's lips.

"I love you," she said.

"I love you too," Elsa replied and kissed Anna again. She was probably going to say that a lot, just to hear Elsa's sweet reply.

She thought she might have heard a gagging noise from Kristoff, but ignored it. "Home now?" she asked. Elsa nodded.

They waved to Kristoff and Sven and clambered into the car. Anna leaned back against the seat, tilting her head to watch Elsa as she started the car. She was smiling faintly as she adjusted the mirror and checked her blind spots. Her bangs were loose across her forehead, as adorable as the day Anna first met her.

Elsa noticed her looking. "What?" she asked, her mouth twisting up into a smile. Anna reached over and brushed the bangs from her eyes, feeling the soft strands between her fingers.

"I think I promised you dinner tonight," she said. Elsa reached up and grasped her hand, giving it a squeeze before she returned to pulling the car out of the drive.

"I dunno," Elsa said slowly. She looked sideways at Anna, the corner of her mouth turning up impishly. "I was thinking I'd like to eat in."

Anna bit her lip.

_Yes!_

* * *

_The end._

* * *

**Uhhhh... yeah. That's all folks.**

***cough*totallyhaveepiloguehalfwritten*cough***

**Uhhhh... I have no idea what to say. Really. I'll write up some sort of a big thank-you *cough*togowiththeepilogue*cough* because this whole thing has been seriously amazing.**

**Also, sorry I didn't tell you that the end was coming. The Great Demon Fluffziel kept bitching about how people were *already* shrieking about the end being nigh every time it walked by. Don't know why. huh.**

**Okay, 'Say Something' is totally playing in the background right now and it is not helping.**

***hugs you all***

**Keep shipping,**

**Capt. Elfy**


	24. Epilogue

Anna skipped ahead of Elsa, enjoying the view of the resort in spring. Proper spring. None of that March nonsense. There were flowers everywhere and the trees were just beginning to open their buds and, best of all, the snow was gone and no one would be trying to convince her to go skiing.

"I'm so glad we came back!" she declared when they reached the steps, turning to look at Elsa.

Elsa was wearing a beautiful casual dress in pale lilac, her hair down except for a butterfly clip holding her bangs off to one side. The outfit had come from a recent shopping trip they'd taken with Idunn. Her mother had practically forced Elsa to buy it. She looked amazing.

She always looked amazing.

"What?" Elsa asked, reaching Anna. Anna smiled sheepishly. She'd been staring.

"I was thinking I'd like to get upstairs quickly. I have every intention of getting you out of that gorgeous thing as soon as possible."

Elsa smirked and bent over to give Anna a teasing kiss. "Minx," she accused.

"Of course."

"Let's have dinner before we go up," Elsa said after a few more kisses that left Anna feeling weak in the knees.

Anna raised an eyebrow. Elsa smiled.

"I'm hungry, and I want to say hi to Oaken and Andre."

"Can't argue with that logic," Anna said, though she was pouting. But they hadn't actually seen Oaken and Andre in over a year, and Anna did want to see them. She supposed, since they were taking a two week vacation and they had no business to attend to, that there would be plenty of time for her to get Elsa naked later. Even if she did have a surprises in her bag that she was  _dying_ to show to Elsa. Elsa took Anna's hand, nodding to the doorman as they made their way inside.

The lobby was less crowded than it had been the year before, probably because there was no skiing or maple-syrup festival going on.

"Allo!" Anna jumped at the loudness of the shout. She looked up to see Gigi tearing towards them. The girl had grown several inches in the last year. She stopped in front of Elsa, crossing her arms, putting a very serious expression on her five-year-old face. " _Est-elle ta blonde, maintenant?_ "

Elsa looked down at the little girl in front of her. " _O_ _ù sont ta papas?_ "

Gigi stomped her foot. " _Répondre à ma question._ "

Elsa sighed and rolled her eyes. Anna tried to work out what they were saying but despite Elsa giving her some French lessons over the last few months, she was as lost as ever. Why did French people have to talk so fast?

Gigi furrowed her eyebrows and tapped her foot impatiently on the marble floor. " _Répondre à ma question, Arendelle._ "

Elsa's face twitched, like she was trying to stop herself from laughing. Anna couldn't blame her. Gigi was very cross, and was clearly trying to look  _very_  serious.

" _Oui. Bien?_ " Elsa said, throwing her arms into the air with another laugh.

" _Yes! I knew it!_ " Gigi squealed like a fangirl at a convention, then tore off, presumably to tell every human being within a ten kilometre radius whatever Elsa had just agreed to.

"Okay..." she said slowly. "What was that?"

"She was bugging me about us being girlfriends and I told her we were." Elsa shrugged and started walking towards the dining room. "Apparently that's really big news."

Anna frowned as she followed Elsa, going over the words she had picked out of the conversation. She stopped suddenly. Elsa took a few steps before she noticed Anna wasn't following her.

"What?"

" _Est-elle ta blonde_..." she muttered, mangling the pronunciation. "What does that mean, exactly?"

"'Is she your girlfriend', like I said, 'Ma blonde' is a Quebecois expression for... why are you looking at me like that?"

"The club... when we were here before we started dating..." She was staring at Elsa.  _That_  was what she'd said to get the sleazy guy to back off? And Gigi... she suddenly turned bright red.

"I'm going to kill that child," she grumbled. Teach her French  _indeed_.

Elsa chuckled. "Why? Because she turned out to be prophetic?"

"No. Because I really did want to learn French!"

" _J'aime tu."_

 _"_ I know what that means."

" _Tu es ma joie de vivre_ ," Elsa whispered again. "You are the joy of my life."

"A useful expression."

" _Tu es, pour moi, la plus belle._ You are, for me, the most beautiful."

"I like that one."

" _Veux-tu m'épouse?_ " Anna waited for Elsa to translate that. The way she said it, it sounded so romantic and like it was the most important thing she'd ever said. Elsa just smiled at her, gazing into her eyes with an adoring expression.

"What does that one mean?" Anna asked finally.

"Ms. Elsa! Anna!" Oaken, wearing a spectacular flower and bunny printed sweater, was striding across the lobby, his arms outstretched for what was sure to be a colossal hug.

Elsa kissed her cheek. "I'll tell you later," she muttered quietly, then straightened to greet Oaken.

* * *

Dinner turned into eating with Oaken, Andre and all the children in their home. Apparently Andre had been waiting for them to arrive, and had been preparing a feast for most of the morning, including his fabulous brownies.

Anna had to be careful not to stuff herself into a stupor, because she had been really looking forward to getting Elsa upstairs and revealing the surprise stashed in her bag. Elsa got caught up in talking to Oaken about how the renovations on the ballroom had gone. Anna had played with the children – it wasn't official business, and she was set on doing as little work related stuff during this vacation as possible.

"You know," Anna said, as they waited for the elevator. "Gigi was asking me again when we were going to 'just get married already' and have kids for her to play with when we come visit."

She watched Elsa's face closely for her reaction. They'd been dating for over a year. That was a short time, she knew it wasn't that long in the grand scheme of things. But they had moved in together a few months ago, and they were only more in love with each other with every passing day. When Anna thought about marrying Elsa, it always felt like a question of  _when_ , not  _if_.

Elsa's mouth twitched into a smile. "And what did you tell her?" she asked evenly. She didn't seem the least bit surprised or alarmed. Anna couldn't decide if that was a good thing or not.

"Oh..." Anna thought quickly. She'd actually turned a bright shade of red and gone completely unintelligible, much to the little girl's delight. She didn't want to tell Elsa that. "I told her this kind of thing takes time." Yes. That sounded like a good answer.

Elsa chuckled. "Children would definitely take a year or two, at least."

They stepped out of the elevator. Now was the time to alert Elsa to the surprise in her bag, build up the mood. She opened her mouth.

"I have a surprise for you," Elsa said, before she could.

"What?" she yelped, "But-"

Elsa looked hurt. "You don't want a surprise?"

"I have a surprise for you! This was going to be my big moment."

There was something going on behind Elsa's face that Anna couldn't quite read. Some sort of worry? But then she smiled. "It's not another porn video is it? If I see one more long fingernail..."

"No, for your information, it's  _not_." It came with an instructional video, but that didn't count. She crossed her arms and pouted at Elsa. "So who gets to do their surprise first."

Elsa scratched her chin. "Me," she declared, quite firmly.

"Why?" Anna whined. She was wracking her brain, trying to figure out what Elsa's surprise might be. It could be anything – Elsa just loved surprising Anna with anything from sexy lingerie to her own video game console complete with 80" T.V.

"Because you love me," Elsa replied, full of smug certainty.

"Hey, you love me too."

"Yes, but I'm about to pull the look on you." She lowered her head, peering at Anna through her lovely long lashes. Her eyes were round and puppy-like and completely irresistible. Completely and utterly unfair, as Elsa well knew.

"Oh, fine," Anna sighed. The pleading look was instantly replaced by a wicked grin. She pulled out a scarf.

"Turn around," she ordered. Anna raised an eyebrow, but did as she was told.

"Why, Elsa, I didn't know you were interested in exploring bondage," Anna quipped as Elsa knotted the scarf over her eyes.

"Shut up, dork." Elsa kissed the back of Anna's neck, letting her breath linger there. Anna's knees turned to jelly again. Damn.

"Hold my hand," Elsa said, grasping Anna's hand with her own. She led her down the hall towards the room. Anna waited, trying to ignore an itch on her nose from the scarf while Elsa unlocked the door. She led her inside.

The room smelt different than she'd been expecting. The scent of flowers, fresher and stronger than the spring outside, filled her nostrils. It was warmer in there than the hallway, too.

"Be careful," Elsa said softly, "take my other hand."

She led Anna slowly by both hands through the room, her thumbs tracing circles on her palm. Over the flowers was the scent of burning – had Elsa had the hearth lit? But it was the beginning of June. Only some nights were that cold, even this far north. Something rustled beneath her feet, like the carpet was strewn with pieces of paper.

"Okay. Stay there," Elsa said, releasing her hands. For a moment Anna was left completely blind. She reached up quickly to scratch her nose, shutting her eyes so she wouldn't accidentally see before Elsa let her. This seemed to be a much bigger surprise than a simple gift, but she still had no idea what it could be. She heard Elsa rustling around, but she couldn't tell if she had walked off or was still right in front of her.

"You better not be planning on pouncing on me," she said.

"Of course not," Elsa said, though that's exactly the sort of thing she would say if she were going to do it, Anna thought, pursing her lips. If Elsa did pounce, she'd have to go straight for her feet. They were super ticklish. But what if she hadn't taken her shoes off? No, she was wearing pumps today, they'd be easy to take off...

"Okay, I'm ready," Elsa said. She was right in front of Anna. There was a soft quiver to her voice, though Anna barely noticed it. She was too full of anticipation. "Take off the blindfold."

Anna reached up and wrenched the scarf down around her neck. She blinked a few times, her eyes adjusting to light that was dimmer than she expected.

The first thing she saw were the rose petals, of every imaginable colour. Red and violet and white and coral. They were strewn over the furniture and every surface, turning the room into something from a fairy land. Vases added even more roses to the room. The lights were out, but candles were lit on the coffee table and mantelpiece, casting a warm glow into the evening air.

"Oh wow," Anna said, her breath catching in her throat.

"Hey," Elsa said. She gave a little tug at the hem of Anna's skirt. "Look down."

Anna looked down.

Elsa was  _in a circle of rose petals and candles_.

Elsa was _kneeling_  in a circle of rose petals and candles.

Elsa was  _holding out her hands_ , kneeling in a circle of rose petals and candles.

Elsa's hands were  _holding a ring_ , as she held them out, kneeling in a circle of rose petals and candles.

" _Veux-tu m'épouse?_ " Elsa said, the same question from that afternoon. Her eyes were fixed on Anna. _"_ It means... will you marry me?"

Anna was usually good under pressure. She made it her job to be good under pressure. She was a bad-ass PA who could handle anything the business world decided to throw at her. But there was a difference between making a meeting between Elsa and a temperamental CEO of another company go smoothly and having the love of her life  _propose to her_  in a circle of rose petals and candles.

There was nothing for it. She freaked out. She started trembling all over. She was going to scream, or start bawling. She wasn't sure which, but neither seemed good. She clamped her lips shut, but this resulted in a high-pitched noise, possibly related to a steam-engine whistle though also with elements of a fire alarm, coming from her throat. She clamped her hands over her mouth to stop it. But the pressure had to go somewhere. She started crying.

"Anna!" Elsa gasped. She dropped the ring as she leapt to her feet. She reached out for Anna's face, panic in her eyes. Of course she was panicking. Her girlfriend was spontaneously combusting.

"What's wrong?" Elsa asked, stroking Anna's temples and cheeks. "I'm sorry Anna. Was it too soon? You don't have to say yes. I'm sorry. I just love you so much and I really want to marry you but please stop crying!"

Anna took her hands from her mouth. She had to tell Elsa she was fine. The whistle came back. She put her hands back.

"Shhh, It's okay, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

 _Damn it. She's apologizing for proposing to you! Pull it together_. She breathed in through her nose, counting. One. Two. Three. Four. Five.

"God damn it, I've ruined it, haven't I? This is what I get for thinking I could handle a normal relationship."

Nine. Ten.

She took her hands away.

"Yes!" she interrupted Elsa. She grabbed Elsa's hands and clutched them to her chest, giving them a shake. "Yes, you idiot!"

"What?" Elsa blubbered. She was dangerously close to tears.

"Yes! I want to marry you! Yes! Oui! Si! Ja! I can't think of any more ways to say yes right now but yes yes yes yes yes!" She was jumping up and down with each and every 'Yes!', holding Elsa's hands tightly in her own. As she realised what was happening, the fear dropped away from Elsa's face and became complete and utter delight.

Elsa laughed with joy as Anna dropped her hands and threw her arms around her neck, burying her face in Elsa's hair. More tears poured down Anna's face. She was getting that lovely lilac dress all gooey, but she was just too happy to care. Elsa squeezed her tight then, with another laugh, actually picked Anna up and spun her around. Tried to. She toppled half way and they both fell to the couch, Elsa laughing and Anna laughing and crying.

They stayed on the couch, entwined and giggling like the crazy people they were. Every time it felt like they were about to stop laughing, their eyes would meet and Elsa's face would just light up with renewed delight and she's laugh again, planting kisses all over Anna's face and hands and neck. And slowly Anna stopped crying and merely basked in Elsa's pure joy and her own indescribable happiness.

Finally, she could tear her eyes from the magical person in front of her and look around.

"I can't believe this," she sighed, surveying the fairy-tale room. "You proposed to me in a circle of rose petals and candles. How on earth-" Elsa cut off her question with a kiss. She smiled, then shrugged when she pulled back.

"I am wealthy and eccentric," she explained. Anna chuckled.

"Yeah, you are." She kissed Elsa again.  _Her fiancée._ She grinned widely. Elsa was her fiancée.

"Do I get the ring now that we're done freaking out?" she asked. She hadn't even gotten a good look at it.

"Oh, yeah!" Elsa said. She rolled off the couch, bending down to look for it. "Dammit, why'd I have to put so many petals in the way?" She shoved them aside, frantically looking for the ring.

Anna slid off the couch to help. "Is it silver?"

"Didn't you look at it?"

"Bit busy freaking out."

"It's silver, with two little emeralds set in it," Elsa said. She picked up the circle of candles, putting them out of the way on the coffee table. Anna got down on her belly and looked under the couch.

"I think that's it!" she cried, seeing a glint of green. She reached for it, snagging it on the end of her finger.

"Thank god," Elsa said. "Kai might have killed me if I lost it."

"Kai?" Anna asked, bringing it out. It was a very pretty thing. The silver was delicate and lacy, wrapping into knots and curls around the emerald. Though it had clearly been polished, there were tiny amounts of tarnish where the silver overlapped. It looked very old.

Elsa took it from her. "It was his grandmothers."

Elsa reached for Anna's left hand, stroking her fingers gently before slipping the ring onto her finger. It was a perfect fit. Anna bit the inside of her cheek to keep herself from crying again. Elsa lent over to kiss Anna softly on the lips.

"It's beautiful, Elsa," Anna said when she could trust herself to speak. Elsa readjusted herself so she was sitting next to Anna on the floor.

"I went looking for rings on my own," she explained, "but it was so overwhelming and the salesman ended up bullying me into buying the most god awful expensive thing, and it was so ugly and it didn't seem like something you would wear at all. When I told Kai – he actually caught me crying in the office – he offered me this one. It was so perfect and he said he wanted to give me the support that my father..." Elsa stopped, biting her lip.

Anna covered her hands with her own, looking at the beautiful ring on her finger. "You should ask Kai to walk you down the aisle," she said softly.

Elsa said nothing, both of them looking at the ring on Anna's finger in the flickering light of the candles. It would be such a beautiful picture – Elsa coming down the aisle in a flowing white dress, her hair coiled and pinned under a veil...

 _Wait._ "Will you be walked down the aisle?" she asked suddenly. "What about me? I never thought about it. How are we going to work that? Are there traditions for two brides? What about dresses? Will we both wear dresses? I think you would look amazing in a dress but would it look weird with us  _both_  wearing wedding dresses or should one of us wear a suit? Has anyone written a book about this because I really have no clue what to do."

She was rambling now. Elsa's face was stuck on 'surprised' as Anna continued to build up her panic.

"And that doesn't even start in on the normal wedding stuff. Weddings are complicated. Where will we have it? Who will we invite? And what about my mom. My mom! She'll want to be involved!"

She was starting to hyperventilate at the thought of her mother. "She'll want to plan a bachelorette party for us! If she plans it, it'll involve strippers. I don't want to experience strippers with my mother! I'll never be able to look my friends in the eye again-"

"Anna!" Elsa interrupted. She was laughing. How could she be laughing? This was serious. Idunn was going to turn into a monster.

She pulled Anna close to her, kissing her nose. "We're not going to get married tomorrow – unless you want to," her voice was low, soothing. Anna shook her head - her mother would kill her if she eloped. Elsa gave her another kiss. "We'll have plenty of time to plan, and figure out all the details."

Anna took a deep breath, then released it slowly. Elsa was being far too reasonable.  _She_ wasn't the one who had to live with the mental image of her mother cheerfully slipping neatly folded money into the ample cleavage of a stripper. Idunn would probably end up complimenting her choice of G-string and expressing concern over the height of her heels. You know, before asking to be shown some moves and traumatizing Anna for life.

Anna would just have to distract her from bachelorette parties with invitations and seating arrangements and vows and…

"Weddings are just so much work," she whined, her voice petulant.

"But worth it?" Elsa kissed her forehead then entwined their fingers, gently fiddling with the silver ring.

"Well, if you want to be  _reasonable_  about it," Anna muttered. Elsa smiled.

"I do. And besides, didn't your mother once tell me about a little girl who planned out her own wedding down to the last detail?"

"That was different. I was planning my wedding to Leonardo DiCaprio."

Elsa pursed her lips. "Well, he's  _not invited_."

Anna laughed. As Elsa knew she would.

"As for where we'll have it," Elsa added in that same reasonable tone, "the ballroom here will be complete by August."

"Here?"

"I can get us a very good rate. I have an in with the owners."

Anna smirked. She turned around, raising an eyebrow. "Oh, do you now?" she asked, cocky. Elsa scooted even closer to Anna, throwing a leg over hers and pressing her face close to Anna's and locking her eyes. "Oh yeah," she murmured, "I've been sleeping with the owner's personal assistant."

Anna kept herself from giggling, giving a mock pout. "Is she pretty?"

"Gorgeous. Amazing. Perfect."

"Sounds lovely," Anna said. Elsa's hands were trailing up her neck, finding their way into her hair. Anna giggled and pushed her face forward to capture Elsa's lips.

"In fact," Elsa said, when they came up for air. "I was thinking of having a go at her right now."

Elsa dragged Anna to her feet and led her to the bedroom. Where there were more candles and rose petals. And a lot more giggles, and an endless supply of love.

* * *

"So what was your surprise?"

"I'll show you later," Anna said, snuggling up to Elsa afterwards. After all, they had the rest of their lives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I just wanted to a great, big, final author's note to wrap this up.
> 
> First off. I have to thank The Editor, the great demon Fluffziel. The great demon is seriously amazing, wonderful and terrifying in all it's aspects and this fic would have been significantly poorer, and probably not even finished, without It. I don't think you guys realise just how amazing this hell spawn is. As an example, “I am wealthy and eccentric.” “angry burrito” “God Save the Queen” as well as the impetus for all the extra smut came from our most merciful Demon in their editing genius. If you are making any burnt sacrifices in the near future, throw in a few pieces of cheese for The Editor.
> 
> Second – I have to thank a friend of mine. She's not part of the fandom, and she doesn't have a name by which I can refer to her, but she is the reason this fic exists. Way back in January when I had fallen down the rabbit hole of shipping for the first time (yes, this is my first real ship!) I was leery of modern AUs, having been horribly traumatized by a Digimon fic at an early age. She insisted that they were fantastic things and then promptly came up with a plot for an Office AU and told me to write it. That plot became Anna Summer, PA. So, mucho love to my wonderful bestie. You are my muse. <3
> 
> Third – you guys. All of you. As I said in my first Author note, I can't believe how much love this fic has been getting. I've had people send me such amazing messages, telling me that this silly fluffgasm has made their lives better, or made them smile when they needed to, or made them laugh inappropriately in the middle of the night. And the fan-art! And all the cool people I've met and made friends with... I was not expecting any of this at all and it has been such an incredible experience for me.
> 
> And a FAQ:  
> I won't be writing another multi-chapter fic, or a sequel. I'm sorry, I really am. You may have noticed, by the infrequent updates the last few months, that life's gotten busy for me. Writing Anna Summers was an incredible experience, and I don't regret it one bit, but it is a time consuming project. And I have original stuff I want to write. If doing this fic has shown me anything, it's that I'm a decent writer. Good even. I want to write original novels, and maybe you'll come across a novel in a bookstore one day that's full of fluff and humour and gay people and you'll wonder about that fanfic you read all that time ago... :)
> 
> I encourage you to follow me as an author, though. I definitely see myself writing more one-shots every once in a while, maybe some Anna Summers stuff will even slip in there. And, if you haven't, add this fic to your favourites. It'll allow other searchers to find it and experience the fluff and angst and smut. :) And if you have any questions about the fic, or about anything really, PM me on here or message me on Tumblr. I only bite if you want me to. ;)
> 
> Holy crap, how did I write a full page Author note?
> 
> Keep shipping,
> 
> Capt. Elfy


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